Blood Relations
by StickieBun
Summary: When William starts to loose his heart to the new, young reaper joining Dispatch, he has no idea how his future with the reckless young man will be so deeply affected by his own past he's tried so hard to forget. Modern!AU
1. A Rare Smile

**AN: **This is an AU, Modern Times. RPed with UnknownPaws. Cover by the both of us as a collab.

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**Blood Relations **

**Chapter 1**

The shrill cry of a baby echoed through the normally silent halls of the Shinigami Dispatch, disturbing the normal flow of typewriters and pens scratching across paper. Alan gave a tired sigh and pushed himself away from his desk and grabbed his collection list before walking out of his small office and across to Eric's, not bothering to knock before pushing open the door, "Honestly, Eric! Can't you keep him happy for ten minuets?" he scolded, walking over to where a baby with golden hair and bright green reaper eyes was laying on an orange baby blanket spread out on the floor, and the child's favorite toy, a stuffed grey mouse with an orange bow about it's neck, lay next to him. Alan bent over and scooped the tearful babe into his arms, bouncing him comfortingly. "Shh-sh-sh-shh…its okay, Mommy's here." he cooed, trying to calm the child, who tearfully hiccupped and stuck his thumb in his mouth, relaxing in the reaper's arms.

Eric leaned back in his office chair, a weary sigh escaping amidst the echoing wail of his infant son. Paperwork lay forgotten at his desk, chair pushed back in his attempt to stand, though not before the door to the small office slammed open, a haggard Alan barging into the room. Barely hearing his partner's scolding, he groaned and stood, cracking the bones in his back. Ringed green eyes trained upon his son, now lying content and soothed in his mother's arms. A feat he had yet to perfect and accomplish.

"Sorry, Al. I tried ta rock 'im... He seemed ta be sleepin' alrigh' when I put him down..." he rubbed the back of his neck meekly, mentally preparing for the coming storm.

"I can't take care of Ronald all the time." Alan said, bouncing the baby boy in his arms, "I stayed up with him all night last night." He turned to his lover and held out his collection list, "You insisted that we not get a babysitter and bring him to work…" he sighed, trying not to yell when Ronald was with him, "Take over my collections for the day and I'll keep him quiet for the rest of the shift. But you are on night-time duty tonight."

Eric sighed, nonetheless taking the list from his lover. "Alrigh', alrigh', but ya can't blame me fer trying" he stated, leaning over to kiss Alan on the cheek.

"I'll be back later t'night... You be a good laddie fer Mummy, eh?" he crouched down, level with his son, then pouted. "What? No love fer Daddy?"

Tearful green eyes looked up at Eric before Ronald reached out a drool-covered hand and clumsily touched his father's cheek and glasses, curling his fingers around the wire-framed lenses, pulling them from his face and bringing them to his mouth; "Gaah!"

Eric raised an eyebrow, yet could not stop a smile spreading over his face. Reaching out, he gently stroked his son's cheek, hooking a finger around the frame of his blue-tinted glasses. "Hey now" he scolded playfully, carefully pulling them out of his son's hold. "Daddy needs those ta see. Can't find anythin' two feet in front of m' face without them."

He slipped them back onto his face with ease, watching the world come into focus. The amount of drool covering the tinted lens did not seem to faze him in the slightest, though it was rather unsightly to other eyes. "An' we can't have Daddy blind now, can we? How can I protect ya then?" he teased, ruffling the baby's hair.

"Guaa-da!" Ronald protested, reaching out for his father who had taken the object he wanted. His arms and legs wiggling.

Kissing Ronald on the head, he made promise to spend time with the child the moment he got home. Despite the rough exterior and outer personality, Eric Slingby was a devoted father at heart, and a lover to the depths of his soul. He loved them both, Alan and Ronald, more than anything in the world, and though he was not perfect, he meant well. Grabbing the list, he made his way past the two, stopping only to cheekily mess Alan's hair.

Alan scowled as his hair was ruffled, "Eriiic!" he reached up to fix his hair, holding Ronald on his hip, "Go on before you're late or William catches us not working again."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm goin', I'm goin'! Love ya, I'll see ya later" he grinned, messing the brunette's hair once more before making to bolt out of the room—Only to run smack into his boss, William T Spears. The man scowled, fixed his glasses before staring at the Reaper groaning on the floor.

"Slingby..."

"Will…" Alan sighed, "We are sorry for the disturbance. He's usually a quiet baby."

"Duuuuuo!" Ronald giggled, curiously looking at the new face, wiggling to try to get his mother to bring him closer to William.

Stepping over Eric, William raised an eyebrow at the child.

"Humphries... Why is that in the office? I have received many complaints about 'constant crying' in the last half hour. Find some way to keep him quiet, or I may have to ask you to relocate him..."

William knew this was unfair, but the High Ups were already breathing down their necks and the recent disturbance had made their heads turn a little. He was merely trying to keep his Dispatch out of trouble, and despite hating the approach, he had no other means of solving the problem.

"Leave Al 'lone, Mr. Spears. 'S my fault anyways, I'm the one who brought the baby in" Eric voiced from the carpet.

William eyes the man, turning his attention away from the mother to the father instead.

"In that case, Slingby, I may have no other choice but to give you overtime." he said.

"I'll keep him quiet, sir." Alan said walking over to hold out a hand to help his lover up, "Eric's just an idiot at taking care of Ronnie sometimes. I just came over to take over because he was crying."

"Duboo!" Ronald held out his favorite toy at William, proudly showing it off and babbling his noises in attempt at joining the conversation.

"Hey, I tried!" Eric defended, only to be ignored by the two other adults in the room.

"What about your shift?" William started, only to be distracted by the child babbling at him from his mother's arms. A rare smile crossed his face. "What have you got there?" he asked, kneeling down to the child's level.

"Eric's taking my collections on top of his own. I can do paperwork and hold him at the same time, though it may get some drool on it." Alan said, smiling as he watched the rare display from his boss.

"Mou-mou!" Ronald grinned, and then wiggled the toy to make it dance. Though he was holding it upside-down, "Ahh-gah babude!"

William smiled, watching the show with keen interest. Normally he would not have been fazed, but the child's eagerness and expressive joy had him. Reaching out, he tapped the child on the nose playfully.

"An eager mind is always a welcome sight" he murmured, moving to stand. "I shall be back later to pick up your paperwork; I expect it to be done by five thirty, no later. And Slingby? Get that work done on time, or its more overtime for you..."

Eric's jaw just dropped; he wasn't sure whether to laugh, be scared, or wish he had a camera for the moment. Regardless, he smiled after a moment, leaning over to pull his lover into a hug, a cheeky grin on his face, "Gotcha, boss!"

"Eric! That means get to work." Alan protested, blushing. Eric was always doing some sort of public display, and Alan always wanted their privet lives to stay privet. Though the fact that they had a son together was all the proof anyone needed as to their relationship. "Come on, Ronnie. You can help mama with paperwork. Try not to get them too wet." He cooed at the giggling boy as he pulled away from Eric and left the office.

Eric grinned like a loon, tucking the collection lists under his arm as he waltzed from the office to the Weapons Department. He knew it bothered Alan to be so affectionate in public, but the man was just too adorable when he was embarrassed. Though Eric knew the consequences of pushing the smaller Reaper too far - despite his build, size, and illness, Alan was very strong and skilled as a fighter. It was one of the many reasons that Eric fell in love with the man in the first place, "Get this done, an' I'll be back home before dark" he prompted himself.


	2. The New Kid

**Blood Relations **

**Chapter 2**

Ronald stretched his arms with a yawn as he walked into the dispatch building. It had been eighteen years since his father had taken him to work, and he had finally finished school and had been assigned a position in dispatch. After Eric had been given overtime for bringing Ronald's infant self to work, his parents had gotten a babysitter, and he hadn't been back to the offices…until now.

His parents had been so proud, and had woken him up an hour early to make sure his new suit was properly pressed and his tie was strait, White oxford shoes shined, and a hearty breakfast in his stomach. Alan had then fussed over his unruly hair until Ronald finally escaped out the door with a silent thank you to fate, which had given him his first day at work on the very day that both his parents happened to have a day off. He sighed and pulled out a crumpled paper from his pocket and looked at it. Alan had written down directions so that he could find his way to where he needed to go without being late.

How thoughtful of his mother. Ronald smiled at the paper and stepped into the lift that would take him up to the floor the note said he should be on.

William had started his day out pleasantly; waking up to find no sudden bed intrusion from a notorious redhead (thankfully), showered, took Soul for a walk, dropped the dog off at the neighbor's for the day, and picked up coffee and a bagel from a cafe on his way to work.

The lobby was crowded with Reapers, bustling about left and right, checking out weapons and filing Collection lists before heading out into the field.

He made his way through the crowd, skillfully avoiding the sudden barrage of scythes falling off a shelf (care-taking would not enjoy cleaning up that mess), and over to the lifts. He slid into one at the nick of time, sighing softly and brushing invisible dust from his otherwise spotless suit.

Only then did he realize he was not alone, head turning to stare at the new blonde Reaper standing opposite of him.

Ronald eyed the reaper that had joined him just as the doors closed, and the lift started upwards. Not wanting to seem rude; he gave a bright smile, "Ronald Knox. I'm one of the new dispatch recruits." He introduced himself.

"William T Spears, Supervisor of the Dispatch Management Division" he nodded back curtly, fixing his glasses out of habit.

A new face -it was something rather reassuring to see. The last batch of turn outs had been awfully dreadful at their jobs - just a group of stubborn, snotty teenagers. The headache had last far too long for William's liking - he was just glad none were placed with him.

There were two kinds of reapers; ones who were reborn from human souls that had been judged worthy; and the rare born-reapers, also known as 'pureblood reapers' but they were so rarely born, that there were no real pureblood families. The majority of the reaper population didn't have large families at all. Sure, they would fall in love and take lovers, some would even marry; but children being born from death was something that happened far too little.

Reapers were reborn from human souls, at any given age. There was no telling who and when a new Reaper would be created, but it was set that the one who had reaped the soul of the reborn should be the one to bring the newborn to the realm. But that was not always the case - some were born alone, abandoned. In these cases, the situation turned traumatic for newborn Reapers.

Reapers were reborn at any given age, child Reapers existed within the society. They attended school, living together in dorms, aging at a normal pace until late adolescence, when the growth slowed to an eventual halt where in adulthood reapers did not age.

Of course, the occasion family existed, mostly through adoption but that alone was hard to get approval for. But then there were the legitimate children of the Reapers, Pure-bloods. Like other Reaper children, Pure-bloods attended school, but did not remain in the dorms come curfew.

Because such children churned jealousy in other Reapers, they were given differently last names to distinguish them from their parents. With that in place, it was almost impossible to separate a Pure-Blood from a normal Reaper.

William wondered briefly where the boy was going to be working. He had a hunch - his Division had been severely short staffed after an unfortunate incident with a pack of demons, and the Council had been mentioning of supplying Management with some new faces. "Do you know where your placement is?" he asked the boy.

Ronald shook his head, "They only told me where to go, not what I'd be doing. I'm just glad I got into dispatch and didn't get stuck with medical or secretarial." He shrugged, "I'm supposed to meet with the department head in office 520."

William blinked in surprise, though his face did not show it. "That's coincidental" he stated, "Because that's my office you were heading up to".

"Ronald's eyes widened, he was already talking to his new boss? "Oh, then, I'm supposed to give you this, sir." He said, holding out the folder he'd had tucked under his arm. It held records of his grades and achievements in the academy and documents assigning him to the department.

William nodded. "Thank you" he stated, taking a peek into the folder.

The lift ground to a halt, the doors swung open to the fifth floor of the building. William moved out into the hall, motioning for the blonde Reaper to follow him.

"You have an amazing track record, Mister Knox. That's very good; I can see why they choose your above your peers" he comment, keeping a swift but calm pace. "Now, we don't have cubicle set up yet, so you will come work with me for the time being. It would be better; I can easily give you an overview of the department, your expectations, and show you the facilities if we have time. Work does not wait, I am afraid."

Ronald beamed at the praise and energetically followed the man to his office, "Yes, sir! I won't disappoint you, and I'll work hard to get finished on time." He vowed. Glancing around at the working reapers around him, all busy with one thing or another, and none of them seeming to be simply socializing. It was a different atmosphere than school had been.

"You will find that work is much different than school. Paperwork is expected to be done by five thirty sharp, or its overtime. Scythes must be maintained, and any issues are to be reported and filed immediately. It'll take some time to get used to" he smiled though at the last sentence, remembering his first time out of the Academy and into the workforce.

Reaching his office, he slid his key into the lock, opening the door. Switching on the light, he made his way to his desk, sliding down into his chair. He gestured for Ronald to sit in the chair placed in front of the desk, left over from his interrogation with Sutcliff (again) the day prior, eyes still glued to the folder.

"Which Academy did you attend?"

"Chronos Academy," The blond said, taking the offered seat "here in London." He knew about the deadlines. His father had gotten overtime far too often, and going into this job; Ronald was determined not to do overtime at all.

"That's a good Academy. I went there myself for my last couple of years as a student..." William nodded thoughtfully, reading over Ronald's grades. He was surprised by the results in all honesty.

The boy had done excellently in Practical Skills, and very well in ethics and written. Every student was expected to work hard towards becoming a fully fledged Reaper, but in most cases, the average score was B level in all areas. The rare few that managed to score perfect were considered Honor students by the Academy, and often entered early into the workforce.

Even so, there were still areas in need of improvement, as with all new Grim Reapers. Unfortunately, by his reckoning, Ronald seemed to suffer most in Practical Skills. His tactics were good, but he was labeled as 'reckless' and 'too fast paced'. Thinking back on the subject, he remembered a tutor being a key option for young Reapers in this area.

To his dismay, only one person could be deemed fit to cover the areas needing improvement.

"Your tactics in the field are impressive, but it seems you have a bad habit of rushing into fights without thinking straight..." he said, paging a number on his phone. "Tell Sutcliff to come to my office, I must have a word with him..." he then looked back up at Ronald, "You will be working closely with Sutcliff until your Workforce-training period is over. You will have to report to him for any field work assignments you receive."

"Yes sir…where might I find him?" Ron asked. He had heard his parents mention Grell Sutcliff before, but he had never seen the man, and had no idea who he'd be looking for. "Does he have an office?"

"...Yes. But, unfortunately, he has a bad habit of avoiding it like a vampire to sunlight..." his eye twitched at the thought. "Though I may advise you to brace yourself. He can be a bit... extreme..."

"Extreme? How?" the blond asked, tilting his head, wishing he had listened in when his parents started talking about coworkers. They didn't do it often, but he had always left to go to his room or had been passing through to sneak a snack from the kitchen.

"Well—" William had no time to finish his sentence before the door to the office slammed open, a flurry of red rushing into the room.

Ronald started at the sudden, loud sound of the door banging open, hitting the wall and knocking a frame askew. He looked over at the door in time to see a blur of red flitting into the office and dancing over to William, arms being thrown around his shoulders with a shrill sing-songy greeting; "Will, darling~"

William sighed in exasperation, the sound coming close to growl in his throat. Lightly tugging the redheaded Reaper off his neck, he stared in disgruntlement, "Mister Knox…I would like you to meet your new mentor, Grell Sutcliff" he said flatly, eyes trailing over to the blond.

Ronald was staring openly at the reaper with long red hair. He blinked his wide eyes a few times and pushed aside his shock at how unprofessional the man was. "H-him? Sir, are you sure?"

"What do you mean by that? Will! Who's the brat?" Grell asked shoving his face into Ron's, his eyes roaming over the young reaper, sizing him up.

"Sadly, yes, I'm afraid...Sutcliff is one of the best in practical skills, scoring AAA on his exam." William explained. "Grell, leave him alone. I don't need to have you scaring the boy on his first day. This is Ronald Knox, the newest recruit of our Dispatch".

"Huh, he doesn't look like much, but if you ask me to, I suppose I could try to teach him a few things, Darling~" Grell purred, moving to hang off William again, "And to thank me you can take me out to dinner tonight~"

Ronald shifted awkwardly in his seat. Were these two…dating? They seemed like an odd match…a little too opposite.

William's eye twitched, a low growl escaping his throat. Despite being very close friends with the redhead, his only friend some could say, the was no denying the man often grated on his nerves with constant flirting and public displays of unwanted affection, Though Sutcliff knew well enough his boss was uninterested. Not to mention that the redhead did have someone he was much more serious about.

"And maybe a little more after that—"

"That's enough, Sutcliff! I do not wish to hear anymore" Will said shortly. "You have a soul to collect in the lower half of London in twenty minutes. I expect you to get to it!"

Grell giggled, blushing a brilliant shade of red, "Oh, Will, darling~! Such a cold man you are! Ah, but the stage calls for the actress; I'm afraid I must be going! Bye-bye, my dear! May our paths cross around a later time!" he flounced towards the door, brandishing a Collections list in his hand. He paused, glancing back at the blond with a devious grin, "Oh, and pipsqueak? Be here tomorrow at 7:30 sharp. It's rude to keep a lady waiting, you know~!" With that, he left, leaving the two behind in the office.

"…He doesn't seem to like me…" Ronald commented, his gaze lingering on the door before turning back to William, "But I'll try my best to learn from him, sir." It was hard to believe someone like the reaper he had just seen could have been an AAA student.

"He's just...overdramatic. You'll get used to each other, believe me. He's tutored some of the finest Reapers we have here. While he isn't so much productive in the office, he is excellent at field work, I will give him that" William reassured the youth. "Now then, shall we get started?"

Ronald worked alongside his new boss for a few hours; helping him with paperwork and getting suggestions on how to improve his work ethics. And other reapers would come in every once in a while for one reason or another.

There was a sharp knock on the door before it opened, "Mister Spears, sir? I have some bad news." A reaper with long black hair brought back in a ponytail said, sticking his head in the doorway.

William glanced up from his paperwork, seeing the Reaper enter the room with a ruffled expression. "Yes, Smith? What is it?" he said, mentally sighing at the interruption. He really hoped it was not another error on the soul list; overtime was piling up as it was, and he really could not afford any more time working extra hours.

_'Probably a newbie getting lost in the field again, unsupervised.'_ he mused, sneaking a sideways glance in Ronald's direction. The boy had impressed him, truly; it had been a while since he had come across a newly fledged Reaper so eager and willing to work. He had been raised well, whether in his human life or here in the Realm itself, had he been reborn as a child. Though, he did not care to intrude too much on his new recruit's personal life.

"Sutcliff disappeared again. He hasn't collected a soul due for collection a half hour ago." The man replied, holding out a paper with the victim's details upon it.

William exhaled through his nose, resisting the temptation to throw something at the wall in anger. Out of all time for Grell to disappear, it had to be now. Running a hand through his hair, he addressed the Reaper before him. "Is there no one who can recover the soul at the moment?" seeing the man meekly shake his head, he sighed and heaved himself of his chair. "Very well, I supposed it can't be helped... honestly..."

But what about the newbie? He could take him out with him, but that posed a threat to the boy, considering they would be heading into territory uncharted by the Academy. Hereby meaning, no one to monitor their safety.

Still, he was curious to see the boy's potential; something about him screamed 'different' from the others. He wasn't like any other ordinary reaper student—perhaps this could be a good way for him to demonstrate his abilities, and in the process, uncover his weaknesses for further improvement. His mind was made up. Turning to Ronald, he gestured for him to follow, "Come, Knox. We've got some hunting to do..."

"Yes, sir!" Ronald got up and put his jacket back on, which he had removed while he worked when he had gotten a little too warm. Going out on the field his first day? Ron grinned to himself. He was excited, though if his father and mother found out, they'd likely be upset. But if he didn't get hurt, they'd never have to know, right?

William started down the hall, keeping a steady pace with Ronald jogging behind. He turned left, making his way towards General Affairs. "Do you have a scythe on you?" he asked the blonde.

"No, sir. I haven't been assigned one yet, and I had to turn in my training scythe when I graduated." The young reaper said as he followed behind.

"I see. I should have expected much" he tapped the bell on the counter of one General Affairs window. The secretary approached, a slight smile upon her face.

"Your scythe, I'm presuming, Mr. Spears?" she asked, blinking in surprise as she noticed the boy standing behind the Dispatch Superior. "Oh?"

"Yes, as well, I shall be borrowing a spare scythe for my junior. One of the standard editions if you will, nothing too fancy" William nodded, oddly displeased with the way the woman was staring at the junior. Good grief, what was happening to the Dispatch these days? Had it really been that long since a new face showed up?

As Ronald was handed a form to sign for the borrowed scythe, he flashed her a bright smile, "Thank you, Miss." He pulled out his pen and quickly filled out the form and handed it back to her.

The secretary blushed, stifling a giggle behind her hand. "You are most welcome, handsome~" she spoke warmly, watching the blond intently. Not only was the new recruit dashing, but also apparently charming and polite!

William's eye twitched at the display; so Ronald was a slight flirt. For some reason, the thought made him uncomfortable, though he wasn't sure as to why. "Miss Tymes, the scythe, please?" he interrupted, rather loudly, sending the woman off with a nervous nod.

When Miss Tymes came back, she handed each reaper their scythes and Ronald grinned at her, "Thank you." He flashed her a wink and slung the scythe over his shoulder before looking back at William; "Shall we, sir?"

"Yes. We must make haste if we are to retrieve the soul before a hungry demon gets it" he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, and motioning for the blonde to follow, he threw a few cautions over his shoulder. "We will be portaling to an area of London not under surveillance—I will ask you to keep your guard up at all times, and listen to every single word I say to you. This is very dangerous, and I cannot have you getting hurt under my watch. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir." Ronald nodded, suppressing his excited grin to a small smile, though he couldn't help the bounce in his step, "Is there anything I should know before we get over there? I've only been out on the field once for my exam, after all." He inquired, wanting to impress his boss.

"Keep an eye out for demons. They are troublesome and annoying, but also dangerous. Reapers have been lost before out in the field because of careless activities" he said, summoning a portal to the human Realm, uttering the city name under his breath. "East London." He turned toward the boy, "This is your first time using a portal on your own, yes? Then I shall explain. Prior and upon entering a portal, you must clearly state the location you wish to visit. After that, step into the portal and focus. Be careful, however; should you become distracted or mispronounce the name of the place, you may end up lost in an unknown or different location than which you had originally intended." With that said, he stepped into the portal.

The blond bit his lip and concentrated on the location before stepping through nervously. He had actually never used a portal before. He had always used the gates which were like portals but always took you to a set location and only reapers could see the gates to reenter from the mortal realm. He was relieved when he found himself in Mortal London, a few feet away from William, and he let out a sigh of relief.

"Not bad" William nodded. "For your first attempt. Now, the soul was scheduled to be collected at 1:00 PM, forty five minutes ago. Victim of a carriage accident, nothing out of the ordinary. Let us be on our way, before too much time slips by. It's late as it is, and I would rather not get caught by a hungry demon or served overtime. I imagine you wouldn't as well." He lead the boy over the busy streets of London, moving fast and through crowds of mortal humans with ease. Something hit the back of his nostrils, a foul, familiar scent. He stopped, eyes narrowing in suspicion.

Ron hurried behind him, weaving unnoticed through the crowd as they got closer to the victim, freezing as the stench hit him, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end. He had never smelled anything like it, before, but he could guess what it was. "…Demon?" he asked, looking around with wide eyes.

"Indeed. Keep your guard up" William muttered, eyes scanning the area for any signs of danger. Though, he could find nothing out of the ordinary, aside from a stray cat sleeping by a trash can. It bothered him, being able to sense the creature but not see it. That factor alone was enough to unnerve him where he stood.

Ron knew he'd have dealings with demons eventually, but he didn't think it'd be this soon. He shivered at the thought of meeting a demon, "L-lets hurry and collect the soul and get back to the office."

"Yes. Follow me closely; the soul is right over there." William gestured to the victim, who soul was, thankfully, untouched. "I'll reap it; then we can return to the office."

"I'll keep a look-out for…it." Ronald said, keeping his eyes shifting around the area, searching for the demon they knew was in the area.

Unbeknown to Ronald, a pair of orange eyes glared at him from the shadows, a soft hissing noise ratting behind him. Meanwhile, William set forth on reaping the soul, marking down the judgment on his Collections list, preoccupied.

Ronald glanced over at his boss as the man released the records, watching the professional work flawlessly. His own exam had been a messy collection, but William collected it without a single problem, the records slipping into his scythe as it played.

The demon snarled, slithering out of the shadows, long talons outstretched to rip through the young Reaper's body. It had lost the soul, so maybe this scrawny mutt would provide satisfaction as a meal.

William finished the reap, closing the book and turning back to Ronald, only to freeze in horror, "Knox!"

Ronald stiffened and turned around, grabbing his scythe and bringing it up to use as a shield just as the demon came down upon him, knocking him to the cobblestone. One of it's claws ripped through the shoulder of his new suit, cutting thin, but deep slices into his flesh. A cry ripped from his lips and he kicked up into the creature's stomach to push it back.

The demon hissed, aggressively pinning the boy's arms down. It's mouth watered, practically tasting the young soul radiating off the Reaper. It leaned in closer to the helpless Reaper, breath rattling and foul with decay. It reared back, claws outstretched to deliver the final blow.

But no pain came to the blond; the demon roared in fury and confusion at the older Reaper lunged himself between the demon and its prey, its claws embedded deep in his shoulder. William cried out in pain, but held his ground, brandishing his scythe towards the creature.

Ronald gasped, staring wide-eyed up at William as Will took the hit for him. "S-Sir!" The blond scrambled back, out from under the demon and his boss, so that he could move. He raised his scythe, leaping at the demon without a thought, and recklessly brought his blade down at the demon.

The demon turned and blocked the attack, kicking out, its clawed foot making contact with his stomach and sending him back into a lamp post.

"Knox!" William yelled out, struggling to free the demon's claws from his flesh. Ripping the hand painfully from his shoulder, he swung his scythe at the beast, smashing it full on in the head. The monster roared, its full attention recaptured on the black-haired pest that had come between it and its prey. Shifting his stance, William hissed quietly as his shoulder throbbed - the injury put him at a disadvantage.

Aiming with his remaining good arm, he shot the pole of his scythe forward, impaling the creature through the back as it lunged at him. It landed on top of him, slamming him into the ground, blood oozing from the scythe impaled through its body.

Ronald gasped and pushed himself up, about to attack again when he saw the demon impaled, the older reaper's scythe protruding from between its ribs, the demon's records starting to flow out of the wound. Ron breathed a sigh of relief and hurried over to William, pushing the motionless demon off his boss; "You alright, sir?"

William grimaced, clutching at his shoulder, an annoyed gazed upon his face. "Reckless" he said. "What were you thinking? Did I not tell you to keep your guard up? You could have been killed!" He bit back a hiss of pain, feeling the wound throb mercilessly.

Ron hung his head, "I—I'm sorry…" He wasn't going to make excuses for himself; he simply helped William up, adverting his gaze and trying to ignore the sting in his own shoulder…and the bruise forming from being kicked into a pole.

William gritted his teeth against the pain, yet one look of Ronald's face sent a pulse of guilt running through him. Perhaps he had been a tad too harsh - after all, it was the boy's second time in the field, and it was more William's fault that this happened in the first place, "I'm sorry" he spoke up suddenly. "It's not your fault this happened—I should have been more careful when scouting the area. You handled that marvelous for a first timer against a demon. You should be proud." He gave a rare smile, giving his shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

"But we both got hurt because I had my back turned to it… I should have been looking that way more…" he muttered, flinching as his cut shoulder was squeezed. He pulled back and shifted his suit jacket to the side to look at the blood soaking through his crisp white shirt.

William blinked in surprise - he hadn't expected the boy to still take the blame. A sudden wave of recollection swamped over him, and for a moment, he was standing in Ronald's place, young again.

_'Vhat were you thinking?! Being so reckless?! Dummkoff! A pure-blood would never make 'zat mistake!'_

He shook his head, trying to rid himself of the unwanted memories. Noticing the blood on Ronald's shirt, he frowned and took a glance at the cut, "That's looks nasty... come, let us head back and get you checked out" he said, summoning a portal. "We'll go through together."

Ronald nodded and looked back up at him, "You too, sir." He said, glancing at Will's own bleeding shoulder before they stepped through the portal together, finding themselves in the infirmary.

William tiredly signaled for two nurses, the latter of which rushed over the moment they caught sight of the two injured Reapers. Taking them to a separate office, they sat them down and began treating their wounds.

William watched with bored eyes as the nurse stitched up his cuts, hissing when she applied a dose of disinfectant.

Ronald watched the nurse clean and stitch up his own cuts once she was done, he grinned at her as he thanked her, slipping his shirt back on. He looked over at William, "I'm real sorry about this, sir."

William waved it off, shaking his head, "Haven't I said that it was not your fault? You don't need to apologize. However..." He stood up, walking over to the blond. "You," he tapped the boy's nose, much like how one would to a dog for discipline, "are extremely reckless. We must fix that. Through mentorship you will learn how to control yourself during battle, and how to think straight when something arises. That is the key to being an efficient Reaper."

Ronald blinked in surprised when his nose was tapped, something his father often did to him when he was a child and had done something he shouldn't have. Like the time he had snuck into the kitchen and ate all the cookies, giving himself a stomachache. "I'm not a kid, you know." He pouted, "I'll pay better attention."

William merely nodded, though the ghost of a smile passed across his lips. How many times had he heard that same sentence being uttered by newbies? Too often, in fact, he was sure he himself had said it once or twice.

_'I'm not a bloody child!'_

'You are, just a foolish boy. Scheiße, why don't you listen for once?' 

Shaking his head, he allowed himself to stand, his shoulder bandaged and starting to heal. Though, it would be about a week before the wound completely closed, and even then it was probable to leave a scar.

"If you're done, then we must continue with on with our work. I doubt you want overtime on the first day." he said.

"I never want overtime." The blond smiled, hoping to lighten the mood as he finished buttoning his vest and struggled to tie his tie. His mother always helped him with it, but Alan wasn't with them.

William looked over and sighed, "Here" he stepped in front of the blond, Taking a hold of his tie, he fiddled with it, carefully tying it up in a crisp, swift fashion. In doing so, he fingers lightly brushed against the nape of Ronald's neck, though the man took little to no notice, "Honestly... Have you never tied a tie before?" he said, though in a teasing tone.

"No…" he said simply, loosening the tie slightly, "I always need help…" he flushed in embarrassment.

William tutted, "Well, that's one more thing you'll need to learn how to do..." he grimaced, the way Ronald had loosened his tie nagging at him. He couldn't help it; he was rather OCD about appearance at times. " _Gute Trauer…_" he murmured without thinking.

Ronald paused, looking at him, "…What was that, sir?"

William froze, realizing he let his tongue slip. "I- Nevermind..." he said, shaking his head. "Just a bit of German..."

"…You don't sound like you're German." He commented, "What did you say?"

"...I'm not. Not entirely..." he said. "I said 'good grief'. The language switch is a slip of the tongue I have sometimes, mostly when I am not thinking or paying attention." He cursed under his breath, feeling his face flush with embarrassment. He hated when his language switched; it often confused others and left him being questioned.

"Are you German?" Ron asked, "I assumed you were Brittish." He rocked back onto his heels, tucking his thumbs into his belt, "What's it like in Germany?"

William hesitated, unsure of whether or not to tell this boy of his past. He wasn't particularly found of revealing his life's story, particularly due to the memories. As it was with most Reapers and their own pasts.

But the boy had a curious mind, one he wasn't keen on dissolving. He supposed, in hindsight, talking to the boy wouldn't hurt. Perhaps it would be better to open up to a new face; he hadn't many friends, aside from Grell.

But not here, it was too open. Perhaps later, if he got the chance. He told the boy just that, "Later. Right now work is calling, and I am not fond of talking about personal matter on the job or in public..." he nodded.

"You could at least tell me if you are German or not!" the new recruit insisted as they headed out of the infirmary and back towards the dispatch offices. He smiled up at the older man, "Please, Senpai?" He had never left England…London, even. And he was curious about the outside world.

The older reaper sighed, not wanting to talk about the subject while in an open area, but could not resist the eager smile the blond was giving him. "Half" he simply stated. That was all he was going to say for the moment.

"Really? What—no, sorry." He cut himself off, restraining the urge to ask more questions. He blushed, "…I've never been outside of London and Reaper London…I guess I'm just curious what it's like out there."

William chuckled, understanding the boy's curiosity. Poor lad must have been reaped at a young age, he presumed. "Understandable. I was the same when I was your age." he stated, heading down to his office.


	3. A Walk in the Rain

**Blood Relations **

**Chapter 3**

The rest of the day passed smoothly, with little to no interruptions aside from William lecturing Grell about skipping a mission. 5:30 arrived, and both Reapers were blessed with no overtime for the night. William felt at ease, having to deal with his shoulder stinging from earlier, to be granted a night off. He was eager to get home and relax, spend some time with his dog, perhaps even catch up on the book he was reading.

Glancing over at Ronald, he wondered how the boy was getting home. Normally, he would not have cared, but as the day had gone by, he found himself becoming more acquainted and adapted to having the boy around. It wasn't as bad as he had thought it would be.

Perhaps he would walk home that night. The evening was clear, and the day had been warm and comfortable for early fall. The fresh air would be a nice change the fresh air would be a nice change to the gassy smell of public transit, "Ready to head home?"

"Yes, sir." Ronald grinned, getting up and setting the papers he had just finished away in the out-box, "Thank you for working with me today."

"It was a pleasure. You are a very respectable young man" William responded. He glanced out the window at the streets outside and frowned, looking back at Ronald, "How are you getting home?"

"Walking." The blond shrugged, "There isn't much else I can do to get home. Why?" he glanced at the window, his green eyes widening as he ran over to it, seeing small droplets of water starting to hit the window pane and gather as the rain outside began to pick up. He groaned, "Awe, It couldn't have waited until I got home dry?"

"Hm?" William glanced up, snapping his briefcase closed, only to frown at the sight of rain falling outside the window. So much for a dry walk home; and to think he would now have to walk Soul in that as well. "Bollocks..." he murmured. He was glad there was a spare umbrella in his office, just for these occasion (to be truthful, it was actually an April Fool's joke from Grell, a big bright red umbrella with white hearts all over it). It had its uses, big enough to keep him dry from the rain on the way home.

However, looking at the boy, he felt a pang of sympathy. His eyes trailed over the youth's wounded shoulder - that would sting nasty if it were to get wet. Making up his mind and definitely going past his comfort zone, he cleared his throat. "Why don't I accompany you on the way back home? I was planning to walk myself, and I have an umbrella we can use. It's big enough for the both of us, and it would be a shame to get wet in this." He gestured towards the rain.

"Really? Thank you sir!" The energetic young man left his spot at the window and hurried over to the supervisor's side, "You know, I don't know why people say you are so heartless. You're a nice guy." He grinned, remembering back to his lunch break where he had overheard a group of reapers complaining about William Spears.

William only made a noise akin to a grunt. He had heard tell of rumours flying around the office of him being a complete hardass. Regardless, the comment stirred a warm feeling inside of him. "Thank you. Shall we be on our way?" He lead the boy out of the office, into the pouring rain outside. Sheltered rather closely under the umbrella, William sighed at the ferocity of the weather.

"_Verdammt regen_" he grumbled. "_Sie sagten, über Nacht, nicht blutig jetzt!_"

"Uh, sir. I really can't understand German." Ronald pointed out, glancing up at the man he was huddled under an umbrella with.

"I said it wasn't supposed to rain tonight, only this morning" William groaned, thinking of the mess his dog would make later on in the puddles. "Though it's worse running home through snowy German forests" he said nonchalantly.

"Oh…Did you grow up in Germany?" He asked, avoiding a large puddle and moving to the side, pressing up against William briefly, "Sorry."

William reacted automatically, wrapping his arm around Ronald's waist to prevent from falling over. Though he paid little attention to the physical contact he shared with the boy. "Careful" he chided softly, before sighing and glancing at the rain falling around them. "Yes and no. I was born in a small farm house on the outskirts of Berlin. My father was a German farmer living off his own crops, my mother a British woman from a poor family. We lived in Germany until I was two years old, when we moved to London. But we moved back to Germany after my father lost his job when I was seven. I lived there until my death, and during most of my early years as a Reaper." He shook his head. "From my mother I learned English, but my father taught me German. Growing up, I spoke both languages, and upon becoming a Reaper, I became more accustomed to using German as a main language, though English has always been my mother tongue."

"You're lucky…having traveled like that. You probably got to see a lot of things. I've always wanted to go out and see the world…"He sighed, doubting he'd ever get the chance. After all, he didn't wish to leave his parents, so a transfer wasn't an option to him.

"Lucky... Heh. I suppose I could be considered lucky. My family had little money, you see. Our father was a serf, practically owned by a noble who owned the land we lived and worked on. My mother grew up with little education, but insisted we both attend school. We went two days a week, the rest working whatever job we could find or scavenging around. Have I seen things? Yes, I suppose I have. But not much, only the country side, and the small village we lived by in Germany, and the darker side to the city of London. I'm surprised I lived as long as I did; so yes, I am lucky. In that sense, I am lucky."

His eyes trained on the boy, hearing his simple wish, "The world. It is a vast and mystical place. Perhaps, one day if I should gain a mission, I'll let you accompany me to Germany. I know the countryside extremely well, almost like my second home. But you must work hard, you hear? I don't just offer this scot-free."

The boy's eyes lit up, "Really? Thank you! I'll work hard, I promise!" He turned around, slipping in front of the older reaper, grinning up at him, though the rain around the shelter of the umbrella kept him almost intimately close.

He smiled, still holding the smaller Reaper by the waist. The eager gleam and enthusiasm in the youth's eyes made him recollect, seeing a younger version of himself in the blond.

Looking around, he noticed they were closer to his own neighborhood.

"How far is your home from here?" he asked.

"Uh…" Ronald looked around, "About five blocks south and then another three blocks west, I think." He commented, finally realizing that he was being held about the waist. His cheeks grew warm.

"I see. My home is not too far from here, but it would be rather rude of me to simple leave you here in the rain. Not to mention, the streets can sometimes be dangerous at night - not as dangerous as mortal London, but there are still some nasty folk wandering about at night. I'll walk you home and then head back here to my place afterwards. However, before we do, I must pick up Soul - she is probably ridden with anxiety from waiting so long" he explained, guiding the boy over to a small condo across the street.

"Soul?" The blond asked, a slight tilt to his head.

"My dog" he answered simply. "She's very docile and calm, but so attached to my hip. It's like living with a toddler sometimes..."

Knocking on the door, he was greeted with the sound of scrabbling paws and loud, various barks.

Ronald's eyes widened and he took an uneasy step back into the rain, "I…I think I can make it home on my own, Sir…"

William raised an eyebrow, giving the boy an odd look, "Is something the matter?"

"I…don't do well with…those." He admitted, backing up more when the door opened and the dog greeted it's owner. A hoard of dogs peeked out at the two Reapers; a Dalmatian, two Golden Retrievers, a Black Lab, a Great Dane, three Pomeranians, two huskies, and a couple of puppies. Yet from the crowd, it was a huge Burmese Mountain Dog came barreling forward, leaping up and knocking William back. Ronald took a few more steps back, "I…Thank you for today, Sir… I-I'll see you tomorrow!" he turned and ran out into the rain, heading strait for home before any of the dogs would go after him.

William watched him run with a frown, confusion written all over his face. He glanced down at his dog, the latter nuzzling happily into his coat. "Poor boy is probably exhausted" he murmured, scratching Soul behind her ears. The Bermese Mountain Dog barked in reply.

Ronald was soaked through by the time he reached home and pushed open the door. His shoulder stinging from the rainwater soaking his bandages. "Mum? Father? I'm home." He called out into the house, knowing that they had probably started to worry about him. he removed his jacket and hung it up on the coat rack.

Shuffling was heard from the kitchen, and a moment later, Eric appeared in the doorway, looking rather irritated.

"Where the 'ell have ya been?! Ya drove me nuts with worry!" he scolded his son lightly, before noticing the bandages and raising an eyebrow.

"It's raining out, I'm only ten minuets late, Father."

"Doesn't mean we didn't worry!" Alan said, walking out wearing his apron he used when cooking, pulling his son into a hug, "You know we worry. There's a high chance you inherited Thorns from me. That first attack is…"

"I know, I know, Mum. But I'm fine."

"Liar!" Alan lovingly, but firmly smacked his son upside the head, "I see those bandages under your soaked shirt! What happened?"

Eric frowned examining the wounds on his son's shoulder. "...'at looks like a demon wound..." he murmured.

"…That's because it is…" Ronald admitted.

"They sent you out on the first day?" Alan gasped.

"Mum, it's not that bad." Ronald protested as he was dragged into the kitchen and sat down, Alan insisting on redressing the wound.

"Don't tell me it's 'not that bad', Ronald Oliver." Alan scolded.

"Listen ta yer mother, Ronald" Eric nodded in agreement. Though he personally had worse injuries than Ronald's, he knew the dangers of demon wounds to a young Reaper, "Tha' can become infected if yer not careful" he stated, watching his lover fuse over their son.

"But the nurse took care of it! Besides, Mister Spears looked worse…his cuts were deeper—Ow! Careful, Mum! It's tender!"

"Spears?" Eric's eyebrows furrowed. "Ya mean William T. Spears?"

"Yes. I was working with him all day today. But starting tomorrow I have to work with Mister Sutcliff." Ronald explained.

Eric looked at Alan then back at Ronald. "Yer boss is our boss" Eric gave a teasing grin to his son, ruffling his hair. "Now yer mother can nag ya at work AND at home~"

"Don't do that!" he squeaked, "I don't want any special treatment or to have people think I'm getting it easy just because I got into the same department as my parents!"

"I'm your mother, I can coddle you all I want. Especially if you go getting yourself carved up by demons." Alan stated simply.

"Demons better watch out fer angry little Mummy comin' after 'em!" Eric laughed, pressing a sloppy kiss to Alan's cheek. "Sure as 'ell got me runnin' when 'e was angry at me! Yer mother's a strong fighter, 'e is." He poked his son in the side, knowing very well that he was riling the boy up, and would potentially have something chucked at his head by either his spouse or his son. But he loved them all the same, despite the gentle teasing.


	4. Mugged

**Blood Relations **

**Chapter 4**

"Ronnie, could you go to the market and pick up a few things for me?" Alan asked, walking into the boy's room and holding out a list and some money.

Ronald looked up from the files he was reading over—notes that Grell told him to memorize before he'd take him onto the field again. He nodded and took the list and cash, looking over the items on the list, "Alright. I'll be back soon." He got up and shoved the list and money into his pocket before slipping into his jacket and heading out the door.

"Be careful!" Alan's voice called out to him, and he rolled his eyes.

Ronald arrived quickly at the market square in Mortal London, gathering and paying for what he needed from the list. As he stood at a farmer's booth, choosing some apples, of which he was sure his mother planned to bake a pie with, he felt a body brush up against his in the crowd, a hand slipping into his pocket. He dropped the apple in his hand back onto the crate of apples and spun around in time to see a man run, Ronald's wallet in hand. "Hey!" He took off after the pickpocket.

The man ran through the crowds, chuckling gleefully to himself at overtaking such an easy bit of prey. The sucker hadn't even noticed him coming, until the last second when it was too late. Noticing the blond trailing along behind him, he gave a snort and veered into an old alleyway, coming at a dead end.

Ronald smirked, knowing he had the thief as he blocked the man in, "Give it back." He held out one hand, the other going to his jacket pocket where he kept his switchblade that his father had given him for his seventeenth birthday.

The man whirled around, staring wide-eyed at the boy. "H-Hey kid, listen! You don't wanna fight me! Go on home to ya mommy, you here?" Seeing the blond remain still, he glanced around behind him and chuckled darkly. The atmosphere became choked with tension, so thick a knife could slice through it. Footsteps sounded behind Ronald, a group of thugs and ruffians closing in on the Reaper, knifes and other weapons bared.

Ronald glanced around at each member of the gang, and smirked, "What? Can't take me on yourself? How weak you must be to need to team up against one guy?" he taunted, grabbing his knife and whipping it out, "Little word of advice. Don't rub all over the person you are trying to steal from…and check all the pockets. He kicked back into the closest thug's gut, slicing his blade over his cheek at the same time, "You never know if you are dealing with someone who can fight back."

The man yelled out in pain, blood spurting from the wound. All at once, the men attacked, brandishing blades likes knights with swords. Very crazed, lawless knights, to be exact. The fight lasted a good while, until one man managed to slam Ronald in the stomach, sending him flying against the cobblestone wall of the alleyway.

"Heh... Not so tough now, aren't ya?" the first man laughed, pulling a pistol from his worn pant pocket. "Pretty little thin', ain't cha? Wonder how much ya sell fer…or rather, can we make you sing like a bird?"

Ronald rubbed the blood from his split lip, showing no weakness, "It still took all seventeen of you to get me cornered." He sneered as he watched another member of the gang pick up his knife, commenting on how nice a blade it was.

"Lovely little thing ya got here. Never seen one o' 'em before... Tell you what, you give us a good show, and I'll hold on ta this for ya!" the man laughed, as another one grabbed Ronald by the hair, slamming his head into the wall. Two other men grabbed his arms and legs, restraining him, as the leader approached, poking Ronald's cheek with the blade.

"Let's see how loud you can scream, little boy~"

Ronald was immortal, and couldn't be killed by these human thugs, but he could feel pain, and the blow his head took to the wall was enough to disorient him, a groan of pain slipping past his lips. He cringed and started to struggle. The knives, guns…they didn't matter. He'd heal from them…even a bullet in his head would heal eventually…though his parents would never let him out of the house again if that happened. "Fuck off!"

The thugs sniggered, not taking the youth seriously, "Quite a mouth he's got, eh?"

"Indeed. Perhaps we should close it."

"Does welding it shut sound good?"

They murmured amongst themselves, nodding and advancing towards the boy.

Ronald gasped, pressing himself back against the wall and trying to yank his arms free. He felt his own blade cut into his skin slightly, a thin bead of blood running down his smooth skin.

"Eheheheheheh~ My, my what's going on 'ere? You botherin' that poor little boy, hmm?" a new voice cackled hoarsely.

The thugs glowered at the man standing before them, eying every inch of him; his long robes, silver hair, and lop-sided hat. "Who the hell are you and what do you want?" the leader snarled, clutching onto his pistol.

"Heh heh! It's not 'what' my boy, it's 'who'~!" the man chirped, swaying back and forth in a midst of giggles.

"What are you yammerin' about?"

"He means-" a familiar voice interjected. "Leave the boy alone unless you wish to die."

A long pruning pole shot out from above, slamming into the ground. The men released Ronald, throwing him back against the wall, and scattered like mice. Perched on a windows sill two stories up, a man with slicked dark hair and glasses gave a cold glare. Leaping down, he landed in front of the blond, placing himself between him and the thugs. "Honestly... Has humanity sunk this low these days?" he snapped, fixing his glasses, nodding towards the boy. "Are you alright, Knox?"

Ronald flushed in embarrassment that his boss would have seen him in such a situation, but he nodded, "They made off with my wallet and switchblade, though…" he mumbled, upset he'd lost more than what he would have originally lost if he'd just let the pickpocket take his wallet.

"Heh heh no need to worry, boy~!" the silver-haired man chuckled, giving a mock bow. "Just let ol' Undertaker take care of business~!" As soon as the man had spoken, he was gone, vanishing swiftly into the busy streets like a ghost, leaving William and Ronald alone in the alley. The black-haired Reaper sighed, running a hand through his hair before acknowledging the blond.

"Are you hurt? Did they touch you at all?" he asked, concern lacing his voice as he helped the blond to his feet.

"…Nothing permanent, sir." The blond blushed. In reality, his head was killing him, and the cut on his cheek stung. But he knew that he'd be fine. He reached back and touched the back of his head, finding his hair caked in blood from being slammed hard into the rough wall, "…I'll heal up."

William frowned, glancing at the boy's head from the side. Upon seeing the blood, he pursed his lips.

"That wound is rather nasty... lt will need cleaning up..." he muttered, gently supporting the dizzy boy, "Come, I'll bring you back to my place. It's close by, and judging by the size of bloodstain, it would be a better choice."

"B-but…" he bit his lip, remembering the rather large dog the man had, "I'll be fine, sir. I just have to get home and rest…but thank you for helping…" he moved to pull away, only to slump heavily against William, the dizzy feeling growing too much from the head wound.

William frowned even more, practically holding the youth in his arms. Summoning a portal, he teleported them back to the Realm, close to the older man's house.

"Hold on, Knox. We'll be there soon, then I can patch you up" he encouraged the blond, hoisting him up by the waist. "And don't be ridiculous. I'm not letting you wander out by yourself with that injury! You'll collapse before you get five steps in."

"Then…just…keep that dog away? Please?"

"Who? Soul?" William raised an eyebrow, not fully understanding the issue with his dog. "She won't be any trouble. She tends to keep to herself if she sees me busy with someone. All in all, she's friendly; she won't hurt you." Reaching his front door, William pulled out his key. Unlocking the lock, he twisted the knob and pushed the door open.

"Please." Ronald pressed, reaching out and grabbing William's hand before he could turn the doorknob, "…I don't like dogs…"

William frowned even more before the realization hit him. The boy was scared of dogs; he felt like a right fool for not noticing it earlier considering his behavior a couple of weeks before. He noted the blond's hand on his, and fought a blush of pink from spreading across his cheeks. "Right... I will make sure she stays put then" he reassured the youth.

His home was a small but comfortable flat, with a backyard that made up a good chunk of the lot. Upon entering, he glanced around at the living room adjoining his small kitchenette, not seeing Soul in sight.

"Must be in the bedroom..." he murmured, internally relieved that the giant dog had not come bounding up upon hearing her master arrive home.

Ronald sighed in relief when he didn't see the dog right away, and he let the older reaper help him to a seat in the kitchen. He sighed and wiped the blood off his cheek, "…I'm sorry for interrupting your day off like this, sir."

William waved him off. "It's no trouble" he murmured, searching for his first aid kit. "No one expected you to get hurt like that. It's not your fault."

The words brought back memories of their first mission together. Since then, the boy had been improving but still lacked complete control over his actions—reckless, as William liked to call it. Even so, he was pleased to see the blond's progress in the field.

While both were distracted, William searching and Ronald through dizziness, Soul had awoken from her afternoon nap. Stretching with a yawn atop her master's bed, her ears perked at the sound of her master's and a new voice floating in from the kitchen.

Jumping off the bed, she padded down the hall into the kitchenette, tilting her head in curiosity at the blond boy sitting tiredly in a chair. Wandering over, she wagged her tail in greeting, sniffing his hand and nudging it with her snout.

With a startled cry, Ronald hopped up, stumbling back to the counter, and even if it was rude and childish, he pulled himself up onto the surface in attempt to get away from the dog.

William, upon hearing the blond's cry of fear, whirled around with wide eyes to find the boy cowering upon his countertop, Soul peering up at him in confusion. The look on her face clearly asked, "Am I doing something wrong?"

"Soul! No, back!" he lightly chided the dog, moving her off to the side. "_Sie erschrecken ihn!_"

Soul whimpered, backing away as her master wished, she didn't understand what she had done wrong, though. All she wanted to do was say hello, but the boy didn't seem to like her judging by the odd looks he was giving her. Now her master was mad at her, too.

William approached Ronald slowly, determined to prevent from startling the frightened Reaper any further. In his haste to remove the dog from Ronald's personal bubble, his hair had fallen loose of its slicked back style, giving him a more relaxed, different appearance.

"Ronald he murmured. "It's okay. She won't hurt you, I promise. I'm here, its okay..."

Instinctively, he reached out, rubbing the youth's arm comfortingly.

"I…I know… My mother always told me most dogs are nice but…" he shivered, and rolled up his pant leg, showing off the pale shine of a faded scar that looked like his leg had gone through a meat grinder at one point, "…One attacked me when I was four and I never was able to get over it…"

The older man's eyes softened at the sight of the scar, "I see... That's terrible. I understand where you are coming from though—a phobia like that is hard to overcome. But Soul is a gentle creature, she never bites. I'm sorry you had to go through that..." he murmured, eyeing the scar with some form of pity. The bite looked particularly nasty, obviously from some larger aggressive dog. How the boy had crossed paths with such an animal, he did not know, but it was clear from his behavior that the incident had left him terrified. He could relate in his own way, to being scared by one single event.

_"I'm sorry! I'm s-sorry!"_

"Pathetic brat! This vill teach you to disobey! Filthy dirty-blood!"

"STOP! IT HURTS, STOP! Sie tun mir weh! STOP!"

Ronald nodded and lowered his pant leg again, slowly lowering himself from the counter, "Sorry, sir…I must look like I really am only a kid…"

William watched, shaking his head in response, "No, you don't. It's a natural response to a phobia" he said. "Though, I am more worried about your wound at the moment. Does it still hurt?"

Ronald nodded, "Of course it does…" he sighed, "All this for a few apples and bread…"

The older man nodded, grabbing a cloth from the counter and soaking it at the sink.

"You were running a couple of errands then, I'm presuming?" he asked, hoping to shift the conversation to something lighter and less prodding. Bringing the now wet cloth over, he gently veered Ronald back to his seat, throwing a quick glance at the dog over his shoulder. She stared back at him from her spot on the floor with sad eyes, but did not move.

Sitting the boy in the chair, he crouch down to his level, carefully bringing the cloth up to the wound, "This may sting a little..."

Hissing, the boy grit his teeth against the sting before he nodded, "Picking up a few things."

William shifted his gaze to the boy's face, carefully dabbing at the wound. Clearing away the blood, he examined the cut, grimacing at the nasty bruise forming around it.

"A minor concussion. Not as much of a trouble to us as to a human, but still painful enough to make one dizzy" he murmured, pulling out a roll of bandages from the kit.

Wrapping it around Ronald's head, he was careful to not agitate the injury any further. In the end, it merely looked like Ronald was sporting a gauze sweat band on his head.

Putting away the first aid kit, he nodded towards the couch in the living room.

"You can rest for a bit there. It's better you let the wound heal for a bit than moving around and making it worse. Afterwards, I can take you out again to finish your shopping; with any luck, we will run into the Undertaker again."

"You mean that guy who disappeared saying he'd get my wallet and knife back? I hope so. Otherwise I have to return home empty-handed." Ronald sighed, reaching up and lightly touching the bandages, his cheeks flushing again as he caught William's gaze; just what was this strange feeling he got whenever he caught William's eye, or earned his praise…or the man went out of his way to help him. He felt so…light-headed, despite the injury he had sustained, and his gut felt…fluttery in a pleasant way. For some reason it was different than when it was anyone else…

"..nald! Ronald!" William's voice floated back to him, fingers snapping in front of his face. "Are you alright? You blanked out on me for a moment..." Noticing the flush on the blond's cheeks, he frowned and set a hand against his forehead. It felt warm beneath his palm, a possible indicator of a fever, but he couldn't be sure. "Do you feel well? Come, lie down for a bit to let the dizziness settle..." Moving his arms out to help the younger Reaper off the counter, he began to guide him towards the living room.

William's concern only made Ronald's cheeks grow warmer, "I…I'm fine, sir. He insisted, but let the man guide him to the couch, sitting down and looking up at the man, "I was just…lost in thought is all."

William tutted, gently nudging the boy so he was lying down on the couch. Tossing him a blanket lying on the arm of the sofa, he turned on his heel and left for the kitchen. "I'll be tending to a few things, you take a rest. An hour's rest or two should be sufficient enough" he nodded, reaching down to scratch soul behind the ears.

With a sigh, Ronald nodded. He was going to be late getting home…he already was. And he had new injuries to explain to his parents. But William told him to rest, so he rested, closing his eyes and curling into the blanket.

William spent the next hour and a half cleaning around his house, reorganizing papers, filling out leftover forms and reports. Soul wandered over to him, her favorite rope held in her mouth. She gave him an expected, hopeful look. He glanced down at her in return, leaning back in his office chair. His gaze shifted up to the blond, still asleep on the couch; he seemed to be fairing fine, the man observed. A rare smirk formed across his mouth; perhaps a distraction would be alright for a moment. "Fifteen minutes of play should filled up the schedule…" he murmured, taking a hold of the rope and beginning a small tug-of-war session with the dog.

Ronald moaned, rolling over and nearly falling off the edge of the couch before he sat up, looking around until he spotted William playing with his dog. He rubbed his head and stayed safely curled up on the couch, "…Sir..?"

William smirked, teasing Soul lightly whist tugging at the rope. Her jaws clamped down on it, a playful growl rumbling in her throat. Upon hearing Ronald stir, he glanced up, attention focused on the blond. Seeing him sleepily curled up on the couch like a cocoon made his heart stir. An odd emotion stirred inside of him, something he could not put his finger on, leaving a flush of pink tinting his cheeks.

The blond lowered the blanket and started to fold it, "I should get going…do you think that man got my wallet back?"

William blinked, pulled back to reality. Letting go of the rope, ignoring Soul's whine of protest, he struggled to pull his thoughts together, still wrapped in the odd sensation. "Oh, um... I would think so..." he walked over to Ronald. "He isn't called a legend for nothing."

Soul, wanting more attention, obliviously trotted up to Ronald, rope in her mouth. She dropped it at his feet, looking at him, then back at it before shifting her gaze back to him again. Her unspoken words; '_Play with me_!'

Ronald gasped and pulled up into himself on the couch, pressing back as far as he could, "S-sir, please…your dog…" he looked over at William, trying hard not to over-react to the dog. He knew she just wanted to play, but it was all he could do to cower on the couch.

William moved to shoo Soul away, but at the last second, she dart out away from him. She bumped against his legs, disrupting his sense of balance. With a grunt, he stumbled, falling forward. Managing to grab a hold of the top of the couch, he stopped his fall - only to now find Ronald directly underneath him, his hold on the couch keeping him from falling on top of the blond.

His face turned redder than Grell's hair and he could only stare in shock, too stunned to move. A small chain around his neck, an iron cross on the end, came loose, falling upon the blond's chest.

"I-I..." he stuttered, mouth gaping like a fish, but no legitimate words came out.

"S-sir…" Ronald blushed, looking up at the reaper, startled mostly over the sudden urge he got to close the distance between them in a kiss… He shook the thought from his head, "Sir, are you okay?" he asked, knowing it was a stupid question, but it was better than making it awkward by giving in to wanting to kiss his boss.

"...Y-Yes..." he flustered, mentally slapping himself for the stutter, "Are you okay?" What was this feeling welling up in his chest again? This almost undeniable urge to lean down and press a kiss to- No, he mustn't think like that! This was his subordinate, his employee, his... friend?

Yes, friend. He considered Ronald a friend, nothing more... yet the more he told himself that, the less he believed it. Something was happening, an unexplainable chemistry forming between them.

"Sorry about Soul... She's just extremely playful." he murmured lamely, the red darkening across his cheeks.

"I wasn't touched. My head hurts but that isn't your fault." Ronald shrugged, glancing down to his lap, "But I really should get going, sir…I was expected back home long ago…"

William nodded, still flustered, but managed to maneuver himself and fall beside Ronald on the couch. His eyebrow rose at the statement from the blond, eyes curious and confused.

"You have a flat-mate?" he asked, wondering if the blond lived alone or with someone.

"…Two." He nodded. He was all too used to saying his parents were flat-mates because of having to keep his parents a secret so he wouldn't upset anyone.

"Ah, I see" William said. He wondered briefly if Ronald was intimate with either of them, the mere thought making his stomach clench for some odd reason. In perspective, he hoped the boy wasn't. "What are they like? Partying, slacking, too much noise?"

"Depends on what one you are talking about. One's always worrying, but is really cool. He even got me my first drink, and gave me that switchblade." He smiled as he spoke of his father, "The other is quiet and responsible. He makes sure we stay in line and the place stays clean and orderly."

"Ah" he smiled faintly, though still slightly unsure. "Sounds like two employees of mine. One hardworking and the other a pain in the ass. But still, one of the best Reapers we have. Ironically, those two had a child... though I only saw it twice, not sure what happened with him...her? ...No, him, they had a son. Adorable little thing, such a personality too."

Ronald tried to hide the fresh flush to his cheeks. He suddenly felt so young. His boss had met him as a baby? How embarrassing. There was no way he'd let the man know that he was that baby. He didn't want to be seen as a baby in this man's eyes.

"Are you alright? You look flushed... are you feeling well?" William asked, concerned with how fast the boy's face had turned red. The clock on the wall chimed, startling the man. "Ah! You should be heading home, yes? I'll walk you back—can't have you fainting on me. I'd be guilty for it." he said.

"No, I'm fine…really. I just…you're still really close, sir." He covered, "I…I'll just go right home…and if that man got my things back maybe you can get it to me on Monday? I don't know. Thanks for helping me."

William blinked, then blushed slightly. "O-Oh... My apologies! Yes, um..." he adverted his gaze. "If I see him, I shall get your things for you and bring them to you Monday..."

"Thank you, sir." The blond waited for William to back away before he pushed himself up and set the folded blanket down on the couch. He glanced at the older man and turned away, "See you on Monday, then." He hurried to the door before the dog came back. His face flushing darker.

William nodded, the blush still evident on his cheek. Soul, noticing her master's discomfort, wandered over and sat down beside him, resting her chin on his knee. The Reaper sighed, scratching her behind the ears. "What has gotten into me, Soul?"

-x-

Wandering down the street, scythe resting over shoulder, Eric raised an eyebrow at the sight of his son heading his way.

"Where the 'ell have ya been?"

Ronald started to a stop, "Papa…" shaking his head he approached the man, "…I got mugged…" he admitted, "Mama sent me to get a few things and this guy stole my wallet and I chased him down and he had a bunch of friends, and…and this isn't sounding any better…is it?" he frowned and sighed, "I'm sorry I worried you."

Eric nodded, listening to his story, "I know. Yer mother wen' nuts on me when I got home and-" he stopped, hearing the last bit of his son's conversation. "Mugged? Ya didn't try ta fight 'em, I hope?"

"Of course I did! Why the hell would I just let them take off with my wallet and the money Mum gave me to get things? Besides, they were human so I thought I could take them."

Eric groaned in response, rubbing at his temples, "An' by the looks of those bandages, ya got more than a few scrapes. Son, lemme tell ya somethin'... It's one thin' to make bad judgments, it's another ta make stupid judgments... Even the smallest of thin's can leave the biggest mark on ya... I found that out when I met yer mother" he chuckled softly.

Wrapping an arm around his son, he guided him back to the house, "Ya look tired... Let's head home. I need a rest m'self after the hell of today."

"I was doing fine…until I got backed into a wall…hard." He protested, "But I got out of it fine…mostly." Ronald drifted off, thinking of William again, "…Father…how did you know you had feelings for Mum?"

Eric's eyebrow rose at the statement, eyeing the bandages but did not press further, "Alrigh', so long as ya rest with me when we get home. Believe me, yer gonna wanna after yer mum gets through with ya...and I need ta relax after that damn demon attack earlier..." He frowned, pondering his son's other question. "Well, I suppose...I just got this feelin' every time yer mother was around. I got sweaty, nervous, blabbing like a fool and making a mess o' m'self... Got the urge ta kiss 'em, too..." he looked at his son. "Why d'ya ask?"

"How did you know Mum likes you back?" Ronald fired off a second question without offering up an answer. Eric had just listed off everything he felt around Will…confirming what he had already thought…he had, somehow, fallen in love with his boss.

Eric merely shrugged. "I didn't, not until I asked yer mother out on a date... Course, don' do what I did son, cause shit wen' down. An' I ain' explainin' how... But in the end, we had our kiss... Why are ya so curious though? Normally ya feign vomitin' every time yer mum an' I snog" he pointed out.

"That's because you're my parents and I don't want to see you pawing all over Mum! I…" he looked down, walking a little faster towards home, "…I think I might've fallen for someone is all…"

"Whoa, whoa, wait!" he pulled his son back a few inches, a Cheshire grin upon his face. "Am I hearin' righ'? M' little boy has th' hots fer someone?" He slapped his son on the back, laughing out loud. "Atttaboy, Ronnie! Yer grownin' up so fast... don' tell yer mother I said tha'. Or he'll have my head..."

Ronald blushed, "It's no big deal, Dad. They probably think I'm just an annoyance, anyway. I only seem to mess up around them…" He looked up at Eric, "And Mum'll be more focused on how I got myself mugged, rather you telling me that."

"Now why would ya say tha'?" Eric asked. "I did the same thin' around yer mother, and he didn' think any less of me. How would ya know if ya don' ask?" They reached the front door, Eric standing with his hand on the knob. "True poin' about yer mother, but you know what 'e's like with his wittle baby Ronnie!" he grinned teasingly. "Well, so am I, but tha's besides the point." He opened the door.

"I'm not a baby anymore." He pouted as the door swung open.

"Ronald! Where have you been? You should have been back over an hour ago! I've been worried…what happened? Your head—cheek. Get in here!" Alan said, pulling his son in and sitting him down in the sitting room.

"Mum! I'm fine!"

Eric merely waltzed into the house, setting his scythe by the door. Quickly pressing a kiss to Alan's cheek, he removed his coat and hung it on the hook, watching his spouse and son curiously.

"Alan, I know yer worried, but let him breathe fer scythe's sake! I found him on the way back from my shift, after he got mugged-"

"MUGGED?" The brunet gasped.

"I'm fine! They just got my wallet…and knife…but I'm fine! It's just a small concussion, no big. I'll be fine by morning."

"That's not the point! You could have—"

"But didn't! I could have died, or been seriously hurt, but it didn't happen, Mum. It's not like I was walking around the bad side of London. I was in the market."

"Even there ya gotta be careful, Ronnie. Yer still young, ya don't know the full dangers o' the outside world" Eric explained, gently stroking Alan's hair in an attempt to calm him down. "Ya look patched up though... Who did tha'?"

"Mister Spears and this other guy showed up and scared the gang members away…and Mister Spears fixed me up and made me rest before I could come home. That's why I'm late."

"Spears? Ya mean, our boss? The same man with a stick up his ass?" Eric looked mildly surprised. "Can we discuss this over dinner? I'm starved; I had ta skip out on lunch again because of a fucking demon trying to run me down durin' a mission..."

"Yes, of course our boss. I don't know of any other Mister Spears anywhere." Ronald said, standing back up, only to be pushed back down by his mother.

"Dinner's not ready because our son got mugged!" Alan snapped, "Go make a sandwich." He turned back to Ronald, "You need to be more careful, young man. You are not a kid anymore. Eric and I can't always be there to protect you."

"I know, but it couldn't be helped!" Ron protested.

Eric repressed a groan, but moved away, slinking into the kitchen. He knew Alan was worrying a tad too much, but that was a mother's job. He couldn't blame him either, he fretted over their son just as much but in a more silent way.

Still, he half wondered who his son had eyes on. Pausing at the counter, he listened to his son and lover in the living room.

"Mum, I'm fine, really. No need to change the bandage. I'm sure Mister Spears knew what he was doing."

"Oh, I have no doubt. The man always does things perfectly. But I want to see for myself your condition." Alan said, unwrapping the bandages and shifting blond hair to look at the wound, his breath catching in his throat, "What did they do to you?"

"Just backed me against the wall, I'm—"

"Not fine! Eric! Grab the first aid when you come back!"

"Mum! You're over-reacting. This is no worse than the time I fell out of the tree in the back yard when I was six."

Eric sighed, turning back on his heel and maneuvering to the living room. Grabbing the first aid kit off the wall, he trudged over to his lover, set it down on the chair before voicing his opinion.

"Alan, ya need ta calm down, yer just about hyperventilating." he tried to soothe the brunette, running a hand down his back in comfort. He gave his son an odd look. "Tha's a bad example, Ron. Ya passed out an' we had ta take ya ta the hospital for a broken arm. But in all seriousness..." he looked closer at his son, noticing something hooked onto his shirt - a chain, similar to one would wear as a necklace. "The 'ells tha'?"

"…The hell is what?" Ronald asked, frowning in confusion, "And I was fine! It was only a broken arm! It hurt is all. I was a kid. Passed out from pain."

"This!" Eric stated, pulling the chain free, holding it up for examination.

Silver, tarnished with age, formed a delicate but strong holding chain, an iron cross (Germanic, if Eric could guess) dangling at the end. It looked at least a century or so old, thought still in good condition.

"Damn" he muttered. "Where the 'ell didja find this? It ain't ours, tha's fer sure."

He showed it to Alan, a thoughtful look upon his face.

"I…I don't know…I don't recognize it…" Ronald muttered, reaching out to touch the chain.

Alan shrugged, "It must have gotten caught on your shirt when you were careless enough to get mugged…they might have stolen it. It looks old."

"Alrigh', the boy's learnt his lesson, leave 'im be. Right, Ronnie?" Reaching out, Eric ruffled Ronald's hair with a grin, taking the chain from his mother. Looking at the cross, he noticed a faint scrawl of writing on the back.

"Huh... Somethin's here, but I can' make it out... Too faded. Still, I pity the poor bloke tha' lost this... these aren' easy ta come by, especially ones this old. They're Germanic, I think... Probably an heirloom or somethin'"

He handed the chain back to his son, the back face up baring the faded text: _'R I-A-D H. S P-A R S'_

Ronald looked down at it and shrugged, "Don't know what I'd do with such a thing, but who knows?" He looked up at his mother, "Can I go take a shower, or are you not done fretting over me?"

"Ronald! Do not speak ta yer mother like tha'!" Eric scolded.

"But dad! I'm fine, and really need a shower!"

"No buts! Don't use tha' attitude with me or yer mother!" Eric growled, the sound akin to a lion.

"Go take a shower then get ready fer dinner. I need to discuss somethin' with yer mother..."

Ron pouted, but got up and shuffled out of the sitting room, "Wasn't even using an attitude…"

Alan sighed and sat down, looking at Eric, "He's too careless…gets it from you." He teased.

Eric gasped in mock hurt. "M'dear! Ya wound me!" he exclaimed, throwing a hand against his forehead in a dramatic fashion, collapsing against the couch. "Oh! The pain, the agony! How could one be so cruuueeelll~" Glancing up, he gave Alan a cheeky grin, grabbing the brunette and pulling him on top of him.

Alan blushed, "Taking acting lessons from Sutcliff, hmm?" he teased, kissing him gingerly on the cheek, "What was it you needed to talk to me about?"

"Only a little." the blonde grinned back, returning the kiss to his lips. He frowned suddenly, pulling Alan closer, almost protectively. The cuts beneath his work shirt stung, but he ignored them in favor of holding his sweet beloved close. "The demons... they're gettin' riled up... Somethin's happening, Alan, and whatever it is, it ain' good. The one I met today, a small rat one, an' it nearly tore me ta pieces. They're gettin' stronger, preparing fer somethin'... I overheard the Higher Ups mutterin' abou' it too... About us preparing..." he winced, rubbing at his torso gingerly.

Alan sighed and sat up, pulling open his lover's shirt, "Did you skip out on going to the infirmary again? He reached over for the first aid kit once more, "Rat demons usually aren't a problem. They aren't the strongest type. Nothing like crows, spiders and snakes."

Eric nodded, wincing as his lover started tending his wounds. "Tha's what worries me. They ain' as powerful as other demons, but this one... Damn, it was tough... an' not just it. I've been hearin' tell of other demons, weak ones, actin' up like tha'. But th' spiders an' crow' are worse, forbid if ya come across a snake. It's gettin' really bad in other parts o' Europe though."

Alan sighed, cleaning the wound and putting a salve on it, "There isn't much we can do. And if the Higher already knows of it, then they will find a way to take care of it…just…be careful out there. And even if you do get attacked, don't go getting bit! We can't afford being tainted, and…" he trailed off, his eyes widening, "Eric! Ronald's due to be going solo on collections soon…what if he gets attacked by one? He's just a kid!"

Eric groaned softly, pulling himself into a sitting position. "I know...Grell's worried too, but th' Higher Ups ain' backin' down..." He pulled Alan into his lap, gently stroking his hair, holding him gently, "Alan... Do ya remember when we went on that mission? We were fightin' a demon, an' yer water broke? I carried ya to th' hospital—remember what I said to ya?"

"You know I don't remember anything other than the pain of labor…and then the joy of our little Ronnie being born…I had an attack while in labor." He reminded.

Eric nodded, remembering the jolting fear that ran through him at the sight of his lover coughing and screaming from the added pain of the Thorns, never mind the childbirth. "I said to ya... 'I'll always protect you, even I have ta go through Hell and back'. An' I meant it. I'll never let anythin' happen ta you or Ronnie. Yer my world, both of ya..." he pressed a kiss to his temple, attempting to change the subject. "Ya looked cute though...like a littl' penguin waddling around".

"Sh-shut up!" The brunet flushed, embarrassed, "I was not 'cute', no matter how many times you have told me so." He scolded, a smile tugging at his lips as he leaned down, pressing a kiss to his lover's lips, "Our baby is the cute one in this family."

"A thousand times in countin'" he grinned, cuddling with the smaller man. "An' ya were. I can' deny it after cathin' ya singin' ta him before 'e came out. The smile on yer face, not even th' sun could radiate such beauty."

He knew he was being corny, but it was true; he would never forget that heart warming look the brunet always managed to somehow perfect. "He is; always our Ronnie, even if 'e is growin' up..." he sighed, but smiled, "Remember the look he gave the doctor before we could bring you two home?"

He sniggered at the memory

Alan chuckled, "He came out such a cocky little thing." He sighed, laying against Eric's chest, "Why can't he have just stayed a bright little boy? The most trouble he would get into was climbing trees and playing pranks on his babysitters… Now he's been putting himself in real danger…demons and thugs…and with this demon problem…can't we just ground him and make him stay home from work where he's safe?"

Eric chuckled, ruffling Alan's hair. "Ya know we can' do that'. He's growin' up, an' we can' always be there ta protect him" he frowned, nuzzling Alan's face. "I know it hurts, but he'll always be yer—our—littl' baby boy. My biggest concern is his recklessness...he doesn' understand the full dangers of the world yet... and I don' wan' him finding out the hard way like I did..." He ran his fingers up and down Alan's back. "Littl' one is already fallin' in love..."

Alan stiffened, "…What? No! He's too young! He's not even eighteen yet! His birthday is in a few weeks, and…and he can't be falling in love! Who is it?"

"No idea, 'e didn' tell me who it was... Jus' tha' he's been feeling the 'lovebug'" he kneaded into Alan's muscles. "Honey, relax! I wouldn' budge too much into it. We can' really stop it either, ya know tha'."

Alan sighed, "He's still too young…" he flopped forward onto his lover, "Maybe when he's fifty."

Eric laughed, the sound rumbling from his chest. "Ah, he'll be fine. He's got my genes, remember?" he gave a cocky grin, runing his hands up and down Alan's side. "Hey Alan~" Leaning forward, he engaged the brunet in a heated, passionate kiss.

"That's what I'm worried o—" Alan melted into the kiss, wrapping his arms around his lover.

"Awe, really? Can't you do that in your room?" Ronald complained as he walked through the room towards the kitchen, shirtless and a towel around his neck.

Eric ignored him, smothering his spouse with love and lavished kisses. Finally, he pulled back, cradling Alan against his chest while grinning upside-down at Ronald from the couch. "This comin' from the one whose fallin' in love" he smirked teasingly.

"Uhg! Dad!" he groaned, walking into the kitchen.


	5. Coffee

**Blood Relations **

**Chapter 5**

The days swiftly passed by, fall edging close to winter as frost began to cover the Realm. But along with the weather freezing up came more chilling news in the form of demon attacks. The creatures had become unbearably restless, each mission considered a hazard for Reapers alike—solo was no longer an option, as the High Council issued.

William leaned back in his office chair, rubbing at his temples. That day, the Dispatch managers from the Paris, Berlin, and the Netherlands were to meet with him in London and discuss the recent events and come up with a solution.

Though, he doubted they would get anywhere besides arguing with each other.

Ronald knocked on the door before pushing it open, carrying an armload of files due to all the recent demon attacks, "Sir, these were sent over from records to be reviewed during your meeting later."

William nodded, motioning for the blond to drop them on his desk.

"Thank you, Ronald" he murmured; voice soft and laced with exhaustion. He hadn't slept well in the past few days, too wrapped up in overtime and worry over the recent onslaught of demon attacks. His emotional response around Ronald was of no help either; every time the blond came within his presence, his heart raced, thoughts drowned and butterflies fluttered in his stomach. "Ronald... about your upcoming mission..."

Ronald paused and slowly lowered the files onto the man's desk; two things bothered him. The first being that the man used his first name while in the office. He had used it a few times, but when they worked it was always 'Knox'. And second; mentioning his mission. This was supposed to be his first solo mission…before the onslaught of demons put an end to it. He worried that he'd be taken off of it completely. His parents were worried about him….had they said something to William? "Sir?"

"As you know, it has become rather dangerous to be sending Reapers out alone on missions... therefore, I expect you to understand that your solo mission has hereby been reassigned. Instead..." He opened his eyes, watching the blond wearily. "I shall be accompanying you on the mission, as a joint collaboration. It is an overnight assignment closer to Dover, so I expect you to be prepared - we leave later tonight around 8:00 PM sharp, without hesitation or hold-backs. Do you understand?"

This was partially true; originally the council had considered eliminating the assignment entirely, leaving the blond in the office until the demon problem died down. But William literally begged and pleaded for Ronald to be given this chance - an opportunity to prove himself a worthy Reaper in the eyes of the Elders. In the end, they agreed, but only if the older man would accompany the boy, to observe his improvements. A warm feeling welled in his chest at the mere thought. "If we miss it, it'll be reassigned to an older set of reapers and you will have to wait for another chance."

Ronald nodded in understanding, a blush gracing his cheeks, yet disappointment shown in his eyes, "I understand, sir." He was nervous. Not over the assignment as it should have been, but over spending so much time alone with his boss.

William nodded, "Good." Leaning back in his chair, he let out a groan of dismay; he was not looking forward to the rest of the afternoon. Just the mere thought of seeing some of the other Dispatch members made his skin crawl. The PA system distracted him from his thoughts, an announcement blaring out across the Dispatch.

"_All reaps for today have been cancelled and rescheduled. I repeat, all reaps for today have been cancelled and rescheduled. Thank you~ _"

William just groaned, burying his face in hands as shouts of joy and cheers echoed out from the office. "Oh, bloody hell!" he moaned, feeling a headache coming on.

"FUCKIN' OFFICE PARTY!" a certain happy Scottsman shouted, standing up from his desk.

Ronald blinked, hearing his father's voice and the announcement. "Why would they postpone collections today? Wouldn't that make for more overtime tomorrow?" He had to admit; the idea of a party was tempting, but the idea of overtime was quite the opposite.

"Possibly due to more demon attacks...what a bother" he groaned. "As for overtime, I certainly hope not, though it is the High Council who makes that decision."

He suddenly shivered, as if cold, a red flush doting his cheeks. "S-Slingby! No inappropriate public affections at work!" he shouted into the office.

"But it's Friday!"

Ronald shook his head, "M—Alan will put a quick stop to it, I'm sure." He said, glancing out at his father before turning back to William, "…This isn't going to affect my—our mission, is it, sir?"

"Eric! Get off that desk! Postponed collections are no excuse to act like an unruly child!" Alan's voice scolded, and the sound of reapers laughing followed.

"No, our mission is still intact, from what I can see. Just the routinely collections have been postponed for today" William nodded, cracking an eyes open as his phone rang.

Picking it up, he spoke into the receiver: "Hello? Ah, they have arrived? Good... I shall be down momentarily."

"Alan, come celebrate with me!" Eric laughed, scooping the brunet up and kissing him fiercely.

"E-Eric!" Alan blushed, pushing his lover away, "Can you behave yourself at all?"

"Nope!" Eric grinned like a loon, cuddling up to his lover.

Ronald sighed at the scene his parents were making, "I'll get out of your way now, sir." He said, turning to leave.

"Ronald, wait" William spoke up, calling the blond back. "You may accompany me if you wish. Actually, I would rather if I did not have to attend this meeting alone... It's such a headache having to sit and listen to constant bickering non-stop for two hours... not to mention that it would be easier if we're within eyesight, so to not waste time trying to find one another later." He rose from his seat.

"Ah! But, I'm still not a seasoned reaper like you or any of the other reapers in this department…Isn't this an important meeting? What if I mess something up?"

William shook his head. "You don't need to worry. I'll be the one doing the talking, most of it at least. That being said, you have made great progress and are a skilled worker—no other Reaper would be finer company."

"If you say so, Sir." Ronald agreed, flushing slightly as he followed William out of the office and glancing over at his parents, watching as Alan gave up and went to his own office. Things would be awkward at home, that was for sure. It always was for Ronald when Alan was annoyed at his lover for public displays of attention.

Eric ran after him, closing the office door shut behind him.

William strode down the hall, silent as a dead volcano. Rounding the corner, he came upon a duo of foreign looking men standing by the lift. They muttered amongst themselves, in a language sounding something akin to French. What was more unnerving was that they all looked older than William—much older.

One man, tall with shoulder length blonde hair and a beard rival to Eric's, noticed their arrival. "William T. Spears! Het is een lange tijd! How are you?" he grinned, offering his hand to the British reaper.

"Very well, thank you, Adlar" William smiled back in return, though his pale complexion stated otherwise about his condition.

Adlar, as the man was called, nodded back. Behind him the other man rolled his eyes; shorter with dirty blonde hair and side burns, he gave the London Dispatch Manager a haughty look. Adlar paid him no heed, as he noticed the boy standing behind William.

"Ah! And whom is this child, William?" he asked.

William turned around to his blond companion.

"This is Ronald Knox, one of our newest recruits. Already a fine and very skilled Reaper" he stated, pride tinting his voice. "Mr. Knox, this is Mr. Adlar Daube, Dispatch Manager of the Amsterdam Division. Behind him-" He gestured to the scowling Reaper. "Is Louie Beaumont, Dispatch Manager of the Paris Division."

Louie snorted, unamused by the appearance of the younger Reaper—rather, he looked offended at his presence. Adlar, on the other hand, beamed at the boy, curiosity flaring in his eyes. He looked to William, then back at Ronald, a thoughtful expression crossing him as he held out his hand to the Junior. "_Het is goed om je te ontmoeten, jonge_." he said.

Ronald flashed a smile and took his hand, "I'm sorry, I don't know much more than English, but it's nice to meet you, sirs." He said politely. His eyes then slid over to Louie, and he extended his hand to him.

Adlar nodded, smiling at the boy still, "You will learn, as you get older" he said. "

Louie, however, said nothing to the boy as he took his hand. Staring at Ronald with a judgmental look, he snorted, "Huh. At least zis child 'as manners..." he muttered, pushing past the other Reapers and heading down the hall.

Adlar shook his head in dismay, sending a slight apologetic glance to William. "My apologies-"

William merely resisted the temptation to glare in the retreating man's direction—50 years and still nothing had changed about the Parisian's bad attitude, "I understand. It is of no concern - at the moment, we have more pressing manners at hand" the dark haired Reaper interrupted, Adlar nodding in agreement after a moment's hesitation.

"Indeed. I should head down myself, lest I be late. I shall see you soon, Mr. Spears" he dipped his head in farewell, striding down the hall after Louie.

William huffed, pinching the bridge of his nose, "Honestly..."

"What's with that guy?" Ron asked, watching the men disappear, "What gives him the right to be so rude?" he puffed up, crossing his arms. He didn't mind being looked down on by the man as he was still green. But how the man looked down at William rubbed him all the wrong ways. "He's come to our dispatch, we didn't go to his. He could show some respect at least!"

"Ronald!" William narrowed his eyes. "As much as we may not appreciate the behavior, he is still a guest here. You are to treat him with respect." Though, he wanted very much to snap back at the man himself—it wasn't his place to mouth off, especially since Louie was his senior, and in return, in league with the Higher Ups.

Still, something bothered him; he had seen both Adlar and Louie, but the Berlin Dispatch Manager seemed to be late. Irritating as it was, William being very OCD about being on time, he couldn't help but feel concerned over the matter. For as long as he had known the Berlin Supervisor, he had always been punctual, never one to hold up anything.

As soon as the thought entered his head, a cool voice interjected behind him.

"Vell, vell...William T. Spears. Vhat a pleasant surprise~"

His blood froze, face paling over at the sound of the painfully familiar voice—the same one that haunted his memories. He swallowed thickly, willing this to all be a mere segment of his imagination, as a tall, imposing man crept out from the shadows.

Brown hair, wavy in texture, lay slicked back, a couple of strands framing a broad, square face. Unlike Adlar, while the man was just as tall, his build was thick and thicker than the Dutchman's. Straightening his posture, he approached the Reaper, ignoring the young blond as he leaned over William;s shoulder.

"Zis is interesting... So zis is vhere you ended up...I'm honestly surprised. Never thought a weak soul like you could manage to become a Dispatch manager, let alone a fulfledged Reaper of all things..." He edged his face closer, displaying a cunning grin similar to that or a Cheshire Cat's. _"Hat mein kleiner Hirsch mich verpasst?"_

William blanched.

The man chuckled softly, pulling away from the dark-haired Reaper, setting off down the hall without so much as a passing glance to Ronald. "I vill see you at ze meeting, William. Oh, and do come on time. We can't have you being late now, can we?"

William just stood, shell-shocked, as the man disappeared around the corner.

Ronald had been just about to respond when the man had interrupted, and he couldn't help but stair at the man, watching the exchange in silence until he, too, had disappeared down the hall, "Okay, I take it back. What's _that_ guy's problem?"

Unlike the first time, William did not respond, remaining as still as statue. His mouth opened and closed, yet no words came out—emotions flashed upon his face; shock, anxiety, and even a hint of fear.

"Sir?" Ronald looked up at William, growing worried over the way the man was suddenly acting. He reached out, lightly touching William's shoulder, "Are you feeling okay?"

William jumped slightly, body tensing at the sudden contact. Yet he relaxed, realizing it was Ronald and not the other Reaper. Glancing at the blond, he gave a shaky, hesitating nod. "Y-Yes...I-I am fine" he cleared his through, straightening himself out. "Come, we must make haste for the meeting. It would look bad on my record if I, as the host, were late."

The meeting room was a relatively big board room, containing a long table meant for twenty or more members—yet only three of those seats were occupied at the far side by the time William and Ronald entered the room.

Louie looked up and pulled a face of displeasure. "Ze little boy is going to be attending?" he asked in disbelief.

"He will he of no trouble, and he is one of our finest Reapers to date" William said in a surprisingly calm tone, brushing past the others to take his place at the tale beside Adlar.

Louie all but snorted, though Adlar beamed at the boy—already he seemed to have taken a liking to the younger Reaper, though William knew that the man was overly friendly and sometimes soft-hearted to fledgings, like an overly affectionate father.

"Splendid!" he said. "Good to see that one so young is so accomplished."

A small cup of coffee was placed in front of William the moment he sat down; glancing up, he stared at the same man from before, looming over him like a hawk. He gave him an innocent look, taking his seat beside Louie. William repressed a shudder, but took the drink nonetheless, give a small nod of thanks in return.

He took a sip and suppressed a face; it was very sweet and lacking milk, odd tasting but still coffee nonetheless.

Ronald slowly sat down, feeling out of place in every way. Even after Adlar's friendly smile. What was he doing there? He had no real business…but…William wanted him there…his face flushed at the thought…as well as the praise that fell upon him from his crush's lips He didn't deserve such praise. He always makes mistakes, after all. But if William wanted him there; he'd stay there.

William watched as the blond sat down beside Adlar, his heart fluttering happily. Even with the blond's mere presence, he felt reassured and secure. Especially now with who the new Berlin Manager was; he shivered, ignoring the lewd gaze the man was giving him from across the table. Yes, he wanted the blond with him for this; he needed the added support. "Right. If everyone is present, then the meeting shall commence."

It started out calm for the first fifteen minutes. Then Louie and the German, who had introduced himself as Hans, broke out into an argument, one of which was on the verge of becoming a small scale fight. Both men snarled at each other from their spots, Louie's face as red as a beat and Hans's smug like a demon's.

As he watched in disprove, as sudden queasy sensation crept over William. He groaned softly, resting a hand over his stomach and other clutching his head. His headache worsened, pounding like thunder, and as looked down at the cup of coffee, he realized it was something he probably should not have drank.

A foolish move.

Throughout the meeting, Ronald sat uncomfortably in his seat, watching as the exchange grew into a heated argument about what should be done with the increased demonic problem reapers were facing. He sank a little in his seat, wishing to disappear. He could hardly stand it when people yelled or argued. When he was a child, his parents went through a rough patch where they had fought constantly, and he had hid under his bed crying, worried that Eric and Alan would separate…that he'd loose one of his parents. Luckily, things had been worked out, but Ronald still felt affected by yelling and heated arguments, even if he wasn't involved in any way. Biting his lower lip, he glanced at William, only to turn his full attention to the man. The London supervisor looked…ill. Physically ill. "Sir," he said in a soft tone under the yelling of the two arguing reapers, "are you alright?"

William flinched slightly, shakily turning towards the blond. He could feel his body going cold, a terrible sensation setting in his stomach and chest. He closed his eyes in pain, slowly leaning forward.

"I-I...am...f-f-f-fine..." he stammered, shivering like a leaf.

The next moment he found himself, collapsed on his side upon the floor.

"Will-Senpai!" Ronald gasped, forgetting to keep a respectful volume to his voice as he scrambled out of his chair and fell to his knees next to his boss.

Hans and Louie ceased their bickering, all attention turned towards the ill Reaper. Louie raised an eyebrow in concern, but Hans's face was indifferent—he looked almost pleased.

Adlar's brow furrowed, a frown gracing his lips as he clambered out of his seat to kneel next to William. William wheezed, a red flush covering his face. His skin was hot to the touch and his body trembling.

"He's ill. Someone take him to the infirmary!" Adlar commanded, voice strong and loud compared to before.

"I vill do it" Hans volunteered, sauntering over to the blonds with a lumbering step.

Picking up William by the collar, he slung the man's arm over his shoulder; half holding, half dragging him off the floor.

"Really? Thank you then, Hans…" Adlar nodded; Louie ignored them both. "Are you sure you know where to go?"

The German nodded.

"Ja. I saw the medical center on my way in. It's not too far from here."

With that said, he proceeded to drag William out of the room and down the hall.

"Hahh! Wait!" Ronald pushed himself up and chased after the man, "We have an infirmary in this building. It'll be faster." He knew about the infirmary as Alan often went there if he had an attack at work. He slipped in front of the man's path to stop him, "I insist you take him there instead. I can show you where."

Hans paused, though his expression changed to one of annoyance. _'Irritating child_' he growled inwardly. "Very vell... Show me the way, boy."

William moaned softly, a sound roughly akin to "_Ronald..._"

Ronald turned and led the reaper to the infirmary quickly. He didn't like this man…nor did he trust him. Once they got to the infirmary, he walked to the front desk, gaining the attention of the on-duty nurse who ushered them into a small room with a bed, directing the German to lay William down.

Hans carefully laid William down, the man withering slightly in discomfort. He struggled to open his eyes, gazing hazly at Ronald standing close by. His heart lifted in relief, happy to see the boy had accompanied them.

The nurse looked him over, frowning over his current state. After a while, she stood back, addressing Hans in concern.

"He seemed to be undergoing a high fever. I will be back shortly."

She left in a haste, her heels clicking against the floor. Silence befell the room for a moments, before Hans decided to speak up.

"I wish to speak to William..." he announced, throwing a pointed glare at Ronald, "Alone." The look on his face was one of authority.

The blond stubbornly crossed his arms, "No, Sir." He met his gaze with a glare of his own, "Forgive me but I seemed to have noticed that it was you who gave my boss that coffee, yet no one else had any such drink, nor was any offered up to anyone else. And Senpai was perfectly fine beforehand."

Hans narrowed his eyes. "Mr. Knox," he all but growled, "are you accusing me of drugging Mr. Spears?"

William, unnoticed behind the German, shook slightly as he sat up, sending Ronald a pleading glance reading '_Don't leave me alone with him, please!_'

"Yes I am!" He snapped, "I don't know what your problem is, but you, sir, need to learn a few manners! Here in England we try to act like Gentlemen. So untwist yer knickers, suck it up, and bloody well grow up! You are here to talk business, are you not? So act professional ya bloody twat."

The German drew back, face taunt and red with rage. An almost feral snarl ripped from his throat, "You _brat_!" He drew his hand back, bringing it across the boy's face in a flash. Reaching down, he grasped his tie, yanking him to close to his face. "I don't care if you are English. Where I come from, we don't put up with that kind of lip no matter who it's from, especially a little runt like yourself!" he spat, tossing the blond to the side.

William snarled, vainly attempting to pull himself up out of bed. The drug, thought slowly wearing off, had stunned his nerves and muddied his focus. In the end, he merely collapsed, panting heatedly; yet not without a hearty glare towards the brunet.

Storming over to the door, Hans wrenched it open, throwing an insult over his shoulder at the London Manager.

"Do train your boy to have better manners, Spears! Don't think this is the last you vill hear of me! Reincarnated scum!"

He left with a slam of the door.

Hissing angrily, Ronald scrambled back to his feet, ready to show the German a few things. His cheek where he had been struck a bright red, a dark greenish blue bruise forming quickly, "Why don'cha say that t' my face ya big ugly German!" he yelled, yanking the door open. When he grew angry enough, he sometimes picked up a bit of his father's accent, and it was showing.

The office was empty, aside from the odd nurse walking about—Hans had left in haste, it seemed.

William, watching the whole scenario, gave a inward snort. _'Thank Rhea_...' he thought, turning his attention towards Ronald. He noticed the accent and raised an eyebrow—was Ronald Scottish? He was under the impression that was born in London. Pushing the thought aside, he took a glance at the bruise forming on the blond's face and almost winced—Hans was never gentle with anyone, and he could feel the sting from where he lay.

Scowling, Ronald slammed the door shut again and turned around, crossing his arms as he leaned against the doorframe, fuming inwardly about the German. But as his gaze fell onto William, he slowly calmed down, his cheek stinging badly now that the pain wasn't blocked by anger. His gaze softened and he approached the bed, rubbing the back of his neck, "Erm, S-sorry, sir…I just…that guy… Are you feeling any better?"

William knew he should have reprimanded the blond for his earlier behavior, but refrained. As much as it was inappropriate to mouth off to a manager, let alone a guest visiting the Dispatch, could not help but feel more angry towards Hans for his treatment against himself and Ronald. If it weren't for the order of the Council, he would have thrown the man out himself earlier. Shaking his head, he reached up and gently touched the blond's bruised cheek. "Are you alright?" he asked sleepily, voice heavy from the drug, though his state of mind was returning.

"That's not an answer, sir. I'm not the one in the infirmary bed. I know he did something to that coffee. I just don't know why." The blond said, flinching slightly from the touch to his cheek.

William went quiet, refusing to answer the blond's question. Of course, he knew why the man had drugged his coffee, but he was not keen on saying so in front of Ronald—he felt almost ashamed of himself, being so worked up because of old memories and unfortunate past experiences with the man.

He was a supervisor, a stronger Reaper now; he needed to get a grip.

"I'm going to be fine, I just need an hour's rest or so..." he carefully ran his thumb over the bruise, marveling at how soft the skin was. The mere though made him blush and he inwardly smacked himself for being so lewd to his subordinate.

Ronald blushed under his bruise, and he pulled away. Scolding himself at the thoughts that had suddenly wormed their way into his mind. How he had wanted to lean forward and kiss William right in that moment. But no. The man was still his boss, and he wasn't feeling well… The blond pulled away to pick up the items that had been knocked to the floor when he had been tossed aside, nervously setting them back on the counter until he caught his reflection in the shiny metal top to a jar. He froze, using it as a slightly distorted mirror to look at his bruised cheek, "…he didn't hit me that hard…did he?"

William nodded gravely, watching the blond's reaction, "Hans had never been kind to underlings...or me" he blushed, cursing silently at the slip up.

Ronald cursed, the bruise was large, covering nearly half his face, and it was dark. There was no way he was going to be able to hide it from his parents. He turned back to eye William, "I shouldn't be surprised you knew him before now…You're part German yourself… what crawled up his arse and died?"

William hesitated, unsure of how to answer. It was a certain part of his past he was not willing to remember or talk about.

But before he could say anything more, the nurse returned, medicine for William in her hands. She froze upon seeing Ronald, her jaw dropping.

Ronald's hand shot up to cover his cheek, "It's just a bruise, nothing to worry about."

"I think not, Mr. Knox! What in the world happened?!" the nurse exclaimed, prying the blond's hand away from his cheek.

"That's what I'd like ta know" a voice said from the doorway.

Eric leaned against the frame, arms folded across his chest as he observed his son with an inquiring look.

"Fa—Eric..?" Ronald eyes widened, what was his father doing there? Was Alan having another attack? Worry over his mother twisted in his gut, "It's just a bruise! No big deal, alright?" he pulled away from the nurse and walked over to Eric, looking up at him, "Is…is M—Alan..?" he asked in a lower voice.

Eric nodded gravely, looking away from Ronald in a guilty fashion, "Twenty-five minutes ago. He lost consciousness before I could get him here..." he said somberly. "They have him under knife at the moment..." He looked really upset, a far stretch from his normally calm reactions.

William merely observed the two, curious over Ronald's behavior. He and Slingby seemed very close...almost too close...

Ronald's lip quivered, "He's going to be alright, isn't he?" he asked, reaching out to grab his father's hand, giving it a squeeze, much like Eric used to do when Ron was a child and worried over his mother during an attack.

Eric didn't give him a straight answer, only murmuring, "I hope so..." It wasn't reassuring in the slightest; he gave Ronald's hand a gentle squeeze, looking back to see his son in a quivering state. "Hey..." he said, cupping Ronald's cheek.

William's eye twitched.

Ronald leaned into the touch, grateful that his father was cupping his unbruised cheek, rather than his bruised one. "Sorry…I know I'm not helping…" he muttered, attempting to give Eric a bright smile.

"No, no, 's not yer fault. I know yer scared; it's okay" Eric murmured, gently pulling his son into a comforting hug. He felt awful; to him, it was his fault Alan had an attack. They had been in the midst of arguing when Alan felt his chest constrict until he could no longer breathe. He collapsed soon after, unconscious, scaring the daylights out of Eric. He was labeled in critical condition upon arrival to the medical center, a fact the blond had yet to mention to his son—he didn't want to scare Ronald anymore than he already was with the prospect of possibly losing his mother.

Ronald nodded and bit his trembling lip. He pulled away and hurried out the door. The operating room had an observation window, and though he and Eric both had a hard time watching the whole time on the occasions Alan was in there, Ronald couldn't help but go to see. He wanted to make sire his mother was going to be all right.

Eric quickly followed behind his son, though his own heart was less in it. He couldn't stand seeing his Alan being cut open, doctors running about trying to fix him up. It made him sick on the inside, the thought of losing his lover like that.

Coming up beside Ronald, he flinched as he saw one of the doctors pull out a defibrillator, pressing it against Alan's chest.

"Please..." he whispered pleading to no one, watching terrified as the doctors slaved to save his lover. He forced himself to advert his gaze, eyes falling upon his son.

Ronald couldn't tear his gaze away, no matter how hard he tried. It was a part of the life he'd always known. Worry for his mother. He watched until finally, he was able to close his eyes, blocking out the scene in the room, "…It's stupid. You and mum are always worrying about me…you should be worrying about him."

Eric shook his head, pulling Ronald close to him again.

"No. Yer our son; it's our job ta worry over ya as parents. I do worry fer him though...both of ya."

He tried to hold in his own emotions, struggling to keep himself together in front of his son. Glancing up, he watched as fight continued through the glass, gently turning Ronald away from the scene. He held him against his chest, shakily stroking his hair. "It's okay..."


	6. Loyal Soul

**Blood Relations **

**Chapter 6**

William sighed as he fumbled with the lock of his front door. The keys jangled, adjoining the satisfying click as the door swung open to a dark, empty flat. He walked inside, setting his keys on the side table before removing his coat. The bag of groceries, sniffed at by an eager Soul, were shifting in his arms as he made his way to the kitchenette.

Setting the bag down on the counter, he slipped into a chair at the table, running a hand through his hair, letting it fall loose of its slicked back state. Soul padded over, resting her chin on William's knee. The dark haired Reaper sighed, tangling his hands in her fur and scratching behind the ears.

His mind had been jumbled all day, constantly reverting back and forth between important matters and...Knox.

Ever since he had seen the boy and Eric together, witnessing the warm connection the two shared, a growing jealousy had festered in his heart. He was not one to normally one to feel envy, but at that moment, he had a growing resentment towards Eric.

Why would the man want Ronald anyways? He already had Alan, and it was obvious he was head over heels in love with the small brunet. Perhaps Ronald was just a gratifying release for what he couldn't do with Alan?

The thought of Ronald being used for intercourse made his blood boil. His body tensed, teeth clenching as his hands balled into fists. A pained yelp sounded, and he released Soul with a start.

The dog backed away, hunching over and giving him a saddened look. William slid off the chair, falling to his knees before the dog. Reaching out, he rubbed her neck soothingly, in apology for his actions. "Sorry." he murmured, receiving a lick to the face in response.

He chuckled, trying to evade the slobbering tongue, but in vain. Suddenly the dog stopped, head held high and alert, ears perked. Her expression changed to one of hostility, a low growl sounding in her throat. William frowned in concern; Soul never growled.

Before he could think more on the subject, a hand reached down, grabbing him by the hair and hoisting him up. He gasped as he was slammed against the counter, hearing a loud crack followed by intense pain. A low chuckle sounded, hot breath raking his cheek.

Opening his eyes with a groan, he stared in disbelief and slight horror at the face of Hans. The German smirked, holding William by the throat, a satisfied look upon his face.

"You bastard..." William growled; Soul barked aggressively.

"Surprised, meine Liebe?" Hans breathed, watching as William turned his face away at the smell of his smoke induced breath. "Did you really think you could escape me forever? That running away would do you any good?"

"Bite me, du Arschloch!" he spat, snapping his narrowed towards the man.

Hans gave him a nasty look before it turned to one of pain. Glancing down, he looked incredulously at Soul; her teeth sinking deep into his leg and ringed green eyes glaring fire at the man. Kicking her in the face, he sent her flying with a yelp, slamming into the icebox.

"Soul!" William yelled, only to be crushed against the counter again.

Hans smirked, staring down at his prey. "So... You turned a dog... How interesting~" he purred, kneading the man's scalp. "What is with that, I wonder? Too pathetic for civilized company?"

"Not so much civilized as it is; you very presence that has turned me off others." William retorted, satisfied to see a look of fury cross Hans's face.

The slap to the face was worth it.

Soul, picking herself off the ground, snarled and lunged at the strange man holding her master captive. Growling in annoyance, Hans reacted faster; summoning his scythe, he hit the dog with the side of the blade, sending her soaring down the hall.

Slamming William into the cabinets, he dropped the dazed Reaper to the ground, storming over to the Bermese Mountain dog. Grabbing her by the collar, he took her and flung her outside, slamming the door shut behind him.

William spat blood, looking up to see his dog being thrown out of the house like a ragdoll. "Sou-!" He was cut off, Hans throwing him across the room.

"You should know better..." he growled. "A pureblood is much stronger, faster and superior to a regular Reaper. We are the true invincible—you are not!"

"That...is what...you t-think..." William panted, laying on his side upon the floor. He smirked, "The only thing a pureblood has...is...a thicker skull."

Hans snarled.

Outside, Soul whined and yelped at the sound of her master's pained cries. She pawed desperately at the door, trying to get it open. Yet it was in vain, and she slunk back in defeat. Her underside was dyed red with blood and her side and back hurt, but she was determined to save William.

But there was no way in.

_Wait._

She sniffed the air, catching onto a familiar scent. It was stale, disappearing, but still there from the last time he visited the house. That was it! The nice blond boy would help her—but then she remembered that he didn't like her that much. No! Now was not the time to feel sad, now was the time to rescue William.

Following the scent, she took off down the sidewalk like a bullet, being much faster than a normal dog. She had to get to him, before her master was hurt even more by the terrible man.

She just hoped it wasn't too late.

"Ronald, you are as bad as your father. I'm fine. You don't have to baby me." Alan sighed as he sat on the couch, watching his son trying to take care of him. Eric had been called out on an emergency collection, leaving the two home alone after Alan got out of the infirmary and was allowed to go home.

The blond spread a blanket over Alan's legs and sighed, sitting down next to him, "I know, mum, but…I was really worried about you…"

Alan reached out and pulled his son in close, making him lay his head down in his lap like he used to do as a child when scared, "Ronnie, my little Ronnie…the best thing you can do for me is to smile, love." He said gently, running his fingertips through blond locks.

Ronald started to smile up at him when he heard a loud barking growing closer.

Soul whimpered pitfully, limping to the side of the road. As she ran, the cut lining her underside had deepened, leaving a bloody trail in her wake. The pain was almost unbearable, and twice the dog had nearly stumbled over in an attempt to remain conscious.

The scent led her to a house in a different neighboring complex, a good walk away from her own home. Running up to the door, she pawed and scratched vigorously, weak barks floating from her otherwise dry throat.

_Please, oh, please open the door!_

Ronald got up and walked over to the window next to the door, pulling back the curtain and looking out. He gasped, recognizing William's dog. What was her name? Soul? And she was injured…badly by the looks of it. But why would she come here? Wouldn't she go to Will..? Ronald paled, what if something was happening to William too, and the dog had run for help? Dogs did that when they had a strong connection to their masters, right? Worriedly, he grabbed Eric's back-up scythe he kept by the door and pulled open the door, "I'm going out, mum! I'll be back later!" Without waiting for a reply, he slammed the door closed behind him and stumbled over the large dog, half worried that the hurt animal would bite him as he passed. But she didn't and he began to run along the blood soaked path to William's house.

Soul whined softly, her tail wagging weakly at the sight of the blond boy. He understood, she knew he did; he would save her master. Her strength finally gave way, and she collapsed to the side, whimpering pathetically. Now what to do about her own injuries?

Back at the house, William snarled through the gag in his mouth. His shirt had been torn off as with his pants, leaving him without an ounce of clothing.

Naked and vulnerable like a newborn baby.

Bruises and bite marks scored his skin, the worst of the lot located further down his lower half and on his face. As he lay gagged and bound, he stared up at the malicious face of Hans.

The German Reaper ran his hands over the thinly built body; fingertips grazing the taunt muscles and thick skin. He poked and prodded the dark-haired male curiously, a hiss of indifference and fury received in response.

"Ah, ah~ No lip, my dear Villiam~!" he taunted, hand grasping the thin face, nails digging into soft cheeks.

Spears gagged and sputtered, a low almost choking sound garbling up from the pit of his throat. Hans smirked, slamming his lips onto the withering man's mouth, holding him down by the wrists.

William hacked, eyes watering from the painful constricting sensation enclosing his throat.

Something hot brush against his rear; his eyes widened, body struggling to wriggle away from the imposing object. If that was what it was at all.

Hans's smirked turned sadistic; he continued his actions, watching in pure satisfaction as the dark-haired Reaper beneath him slowly succumbed to pain. His growing screams were music to his ears, the agony feeding him like coal to a fire. He raked his nails over the sweat-slicked skin, trailing marks of vibrant red over pale peach.

The pleasure made his head soar, heart thumping wildly against his ribs. A fire was burning inside him, growing bigger with each passing moment. Sweat glistened on his skin, falling like steady drops of rain onto the tiled kitchen floor. He huffed, lungs ready to burst from the sheer and heavy breathing he had take on the moment he and _his_ William had become one.

White shrouded his vision, William screaming out hoarsely as his body climaxed. The seed of shame had been planted, and was now steadily growing into the plant of disgust and guilt. He wanted nothing more, in that moment, to just curl up and rot away to dust and bone; the humiliation, the pain, and burning anger were all too much.

Choked tears of silent rage and shame raced down his cheeks, body shivering and shaking from the pure torture he had been subjected to.

Hans panted, grinning defiantly down at his prey; he had won. The battle was over, leaving him the victor.

Or so he thought; the sound of shouting echoed down from the front door, and he cursed his bad luck on the arrival of a rather pesky blond. He would have to get rid of him, but not now—it was too late for such measure.

Tossing William aside like a piece of worthless garbage, he pulled his clothes right and grabbed his scythe, sprinting to the window and jumping out like a hawk launching for flight. The same way he come in; he landed on the sidewalk, sprinting down the street, away from the house and the mess he'd left inside.

"Sir! William-senpai! It's me! Are you okay, sir?" Ronald shouted, banging on the door. Hans had leapt out a side window, and remained unseen by the young blond. Hearing no answer, Ronald took his father's scythe and cut through the lock on the door before kicking it open, rushing in. Blood colored the cream carpet like colored raindrops, and the sign of a struggle was apparent. Tables tipped, picture frames and vases broken on the floor. Forgetting caution, the young reaper rushed in following the mess to the kitchen, where he stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of the older man. "Senpai!" he dropped the saw and ran over, dropping to his knees and working to untie William's binds.

William moaned through his gag, body throbbing terribly—particularly his lower half. A bit of residue dripped from his rear, splashing upon the tiles. He felt the bonds come loose and tensed, thinking it was still Hans, ready to torture him with more sadistic activities.

His arm freed, he reached out without warning, wrapping his hand around the throat of the figure looming over him. His eyes swam with panic, fear, and unstable anger. He felt furious, that the other had even dared to touch him in such a way.

_It wasn't supposed to happen. Not again. _

Something was different—he thought he heard a pained gasp, one that definitely not Hans'. Slowly his mind clear, his focus coming back; in horror, he saw his own hand clamped around the throat of Ronald Knox.

He shuddered a gasp of his own, releasing the poor boy immediately. He painfully backed away, dragging his body across the floor. Staring at the blond, he felt overwhelmed. It wasn't Hans, Hans was gone—it was Ronald. Ronald had come to save him...and he had just…

His face was one of complete distress; emotions bubbled inside of him, uncontrollable and overwhelming for the dark-haired Reaper. Out of the sensation, a few tears slipped down his cheeks again.

William's grip had been tight and Ronald gasped when he was released, coughing a few times as air flooded back into his lungs, though he hadn't been cut off from it long, and breathing wasn't a requirement for reapers, but to loose control of weather or not he was breathing still caused a very human reaction of a panic; thinking that he needed the air denied him. Holding his hand over his throat, Ronald raised his gaze to look at William, unspoken questions hanging between them.

"R-Ronald..." His voice shook, much like his body did, unable to find the proper words to speak. It had yet to occur to him that he was sitting stark naked in front of his subordinate—right now, the shock was too much. Finally, one word escaped him. "H-Hans... H-He..."

Ronald shook the shock from his mind, "You mean that bloody German git? He still here?" he moved to get up, to grab the scythe he'd brought to hunt the man down…but then he remembered how proud the man was. He wouldn't be one to hide—especially from Ronald. Ron was a small reaper, and not particularly strong…no threat to Hans. He sighed and looked back at William, "Sir, he—" he froze again, registering that his boss was very much exposed. Blushing deeply, the young reaper hurriedly pulled off his jacket and spread it over William, turning away respectfully.

"N-No...H-He left...after...after...he r-ra..." he swallowed thickly, throat closing up, preventing him from completing the sentence. William flinched as the article of clothing was thrown over his person. His heart sank when Ronald turned away; he must have been an unpleasant mess to look at, bruised and bloodied all over. Yet he seemed too shaken to get up on his own—a pained yelp escaped him as he struggled to sit upright.

Ronald flinched at the sound, "You don't have to say anything, Sir…I…I'm sorry I can't help more…" he said, not knowing what to do. He didn't want to touch the man again…he seemed so jumpy and might attack again…and if not, he was stark naked and it was highly inappropriate…the man was still his boss.

William felt an ounce of guilt gnawing away at his chest. "I-I'm s-s-sorry...I-I though y-you were H-Ha-Hans..." He gingerly dragged himself over to the counter, reaching up to grab the edge of the counter, trying to pull himself upright without damaging his body anymore than it was. A wave of nausea passed over him, his head spinning as he staggered, holding his head.

"…Why?" Ron asked, unable to stop his curiosity, "Why would he do this to you?" he stood up and turned back to look at William, only to step forward to steady the older man, "Careful!"

With a groan, Will fell forward, right into the blond's arms. He blushed, remaining frozen in place. This felt better than being rough handled. Were he in his normal state of mind, he would have been highly embarrassed. But right then, he was in pain, and seeking comfort. His emotions overran his senses and he found himself unconsciously leaning into Ronald. A low whimper escaped his throat; he just wanted the pain to stop, for the memories to fade away.

He wanted to forget.

Ronald guided the larger man into the sitting room and helped him onto the sofa. Where he sat in silence for a couple of moments, the only sound of William's unsteady breathing to keep the two of them company. The man cursed at himself, unable to keep the blush off of his face.

This was unacceptable of a Dispatch Manager, to feel so wound up and torn. He should be stronger, better, more able...

_He should have been able to defend himself... _

"...He snuck in through the back window when I wasn't noticing. He knew I would be home early, and followed me back from the Dispatch. Soul noticed him first; she never growls and something was bothering her. I wasn't able to react in time..." He swallowed. "He slammed me against the counter and attacked Soul after she attempted to come to my aid. He threw her outside and went after me; I was gagged and bound, striped down to nothing, and ravaged until I couldn't fight back anymore. He used any means possible to humiliate me... and it worked. I am in shame, just nothing now. I couldn't even hold back against my former mentor...what am I now if I can't even defend myself?"

He shook in anger, fist balled and knuckles white. Then it all faded to black, the pain making him wince and recoil, curling into himself. He dearly hoped nothing serious would arise from the incident.

There was another pause for silence before Ronald broke it, "She came and found me, somehow…your dog. It's why I came…I…I think she's hurt, too…"

"Soul? Where is she? I have to find her- ugh!" he pulled himself to his feet, ignoring his exhausted state.

"Sir!" Ronald stood up again, steadying him, "Sir, you are in no condition to be out! I…I'll go find her…maybe Eric'll help me bring her back to you…"

William tensed; there it was; that name he disliked the most (aside from Hans). Of course the blond would want to go see Eric. He would rather be with his crush than trying to sort out the mess William had gotten himself into. After all, it was Soul who had led him there in the first place; it wasn't as if the youth had come on his own accord out of concern.

Damn such worthless emotions; to hell with them.

He struggled to remove himself from Ronald's grip. "No, I... I can go on my own... _Eric_ doesn't need to get involved" he stated, a little colder than he had wanted.

"You're hurt! And I can't do it on my own! I can't get close to her without my phobia setting in! Eric'll help if I ask him to. Promise!"

William almost snorted; yes, because that is clearly what he wanted at the moment. He felt put off by the fact that the blond was still willing to seek out Eric, but could see a losing argument when he saw one. Sutcliff had shown him that much countless times.

Reluctantly, he edged himself back to the couch. Yet his sense of balance was still out of place, and thus the dark-haired Reaper was sent collapsing to the floor, pulling Ronald down with him.

Ronald gasped, tumbling down on top of his boss, his hand flying out to catch himself, only to cause a side table to tip over, sending a lamp shattering onto the floor. Groaning, he opened his eyes, finding himself centimeters away from William's, his lips hovering over the older man's. His face brightened, "Ahh-um…."

William blushed a brilliant shade of scarlet, seeing the blond hover over him, barely inches away from his face. Their lips brushed, only slightly, but it was enough to spur William on.

All sense was lost, a soft flutter of the heart to accompany him as he titled his head up, lightly pressing their lips together in a sweet but meaningful, innocent kiss. He knew he would regret it later, taking such as risk, but nothing mattered to him anymore.

Before he knew what was happening, Ronald found himself melting into the kiss, a small moan escaping him as he did so. He felt light-headed…this had to be a dream. It wouldn't be the first time since meeting William he'd dreamed of such things…only it felt nicer…it was as if the hands roaming along his body were real…

William sighed gently into the kiss, relishing in the boy's sweet taste. His hand ran up and down the blond's sides, marking the frame as his and his alone. He did not want Eric, or anyone for that matter, to lay their hands on Ronald. Rolling them over so he was on top,

Will pulled away at last, he laid his head down upon the blond's chest, feeling his vision fade out. "Ich liebe dich..." he murmured, eyes fluttering shut as his consciousness finally gave out.

Ronald blushed, trapped under the larger reaper, but he didn't have the heart to awaken him…yet. He seemed to need rest. With a sigh, he indulged himself, brushing the hair out of William's face. Hate bubbling up within him for Hans. He didn't care what rank or country the man was from. He had no right to attack William like this! He'd have to go have a talk with him…but first, he'd let William rest for a bit longer before he went German hunting.

William whimpered softly, snuggling into Ronald almost like a child would. He felt the need for comfort, and sought it through the security of the blond beneath him.

He could only wait as the nightmares slowly came to him.


	7. Dark Pasts

**Blood Relations **

**Chapter 7**

The hours ticked by, and the sun set; the moonless night causing the messy sitting room to grow dark. Ronald sighed and shifted, needing to move again, "Sir..?" he gently touched William's shoulder.

William stirred slightly, moaning softly at his pounding headache.  
He opened his eyes to see nothing but darkness; his heart thudded against his chest as he turned his head left and right, trying to see his surrounding.

He felt someone trapped underneath him and froze, shivering slightly.

"Sir," Ronald relaxed, feeling the man stir, "I'm sorry, but…I kind of need to get up…"

He let out an audible sigh of relief, hearing Ronald's voice. Clambering off the blond, he shivered at the cold chill hitting his bare skin—the temperature had dropped during the night to just below freezing, and the window was left open. Even in the darkness, he could see his own breath cloud in the frigid air. "H-How long was I out for?" he stuttered, teeth chattering.

"Few hours…" The blond said, pushing himself up, shivering himself now that there wasn't a body atop him. He rubbed his arms, trying to restore the heat to them, "You should take a hot bath, Sir…It's quite cold and you're…"

William was glad, for once, that it was too dark for the blond to see the red flush tainting his face. "Erm... I-I apologize for my i-indecency..." he shivered. "H-Hans did not return... d-did he?"

He sounded fearful, as if excepting the German to come jumping out of the shadows at any given moment.

Ronald shook his head, before realizing it was too dark for the other to properly see the action, "No. We are alone as far as I know."

William nodded, trying to find a source of light that wasn't broken. Using Ronald's jacket to cover himself, feeling overly exposed despite the darkness shrouding his vision.

Then he remembered the kiss—the feel of Ronald's lips against his own, soft and smooth with youth.

Ronald stood up, his legs shaking and tingling as they had fallen asleep on him. It was somewhat painful, but he ignored it. "I…if you think you'll be alright, I'll be going…" he muttered awkwardly.

William shuddered, "W-Wait..." he said. "P-Please don't go... I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been so forward..." He swallowed thickly. Truthfully, he feared Hans's return in his sorry state. He did not think he could fight him off a second time. "I-I... don't want to be alone..."

"I-it's not that! I…just…" Ronald blushed a deep red, "…I'm sure people are worried about me…I just ran off without saying why after I saw Soul…"

"O-Oh... I see..." William nodded, understanding the boy's predicament. Then he straightened up, "Soul! I have to find her!"

Stumbling about the darkness, he fumbled along the wall, trying to find a light switch. He could feel the remains of picture frames and cracks in the plaster, and groaned softly at the thought of repair costs.

"Sir!" Ronald rushed forward, wrapping his arms around him from behind, "At least get d-dr—" he froze, remembering the man was nude, and he backed away, "…dressed…I…I'll help find her…"

William paused at his bedroom door. "Thank you, Ronald" he murmured, slipping into the room with ease. Finding his light switch, he flinched as the bright light blinded him. Holding a hand to his head, he staggered over to the bed, leaning against the frame for a moment.

Ronald sighed, leaning against the wall. He'd been kissed by his boss…his crush. The blond shivered. It probably meant nothing. The man had been in shock, after all…he even said something in German again. Will probably didn't even remember it, and it'd be best to leave it alone… "Sir…about earlier…that kiss…" Eyes widening, Ronald slapped himself. What had he just told himself seconds before? He couldn't even listen to himself!

William came out after a few minutes, dressed in a simple pair of sweat pants and a button up shirt. He was still sore from earlier, probably would be for a few days, but he was coming out of shock. Hearing the blond's question as he stepped out into the hall, he blushed and looked away, "I-I'm sorry... I never meant to make you feel uncomfortable, I..."

"D-Don't be sorry, sir! I…I didn't…really mind, I just…was…I was wondering about it is all…" the blond blushed, stumbling over his words.

William looked at him, the glow of the bedroom light sending a golden halo around his body. He wasn't sure if he was being used, or if Ronald was even interested...but that blond had said that he did not mind...and that alone was enough to spur him on. "I-I..." Words were flooding from his mouth uncontrollably. There was no stopping them, "...like you..."

A chill ran down the blonds body as he stared up at William, "You…really?" he whispered, unable to believe it. The man was so much older, more mature and experienced in literally everything…He was handsome and strong and…he was sure he could have anyone he wanted…though, he had also been convinced that there was something going on between William and Grell. "But…aren't you with Grell-senpai?"

"Sutcliff? Scythe, no, no. Grell is just...an old friend, you can call it that. I've told him long ago I wasn't interested... Hadn't been into love at all since...well, what happened with Hans when I lived back in Germany...until I met you." He sighed softly, "But then... You are with Eric, are you not?"

"WHAT?" Ronald didn't mean to shout, but it came out that way, and he coughed, trying to hide his embarrassment, "N-no way would I ever—ever be with him like that!"

William was taken aback by the outburst. He had been certain the blond was crushing on the Scottsman.

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to indicate... I just figured, considering how close you two seem to be..."

"Well, yeah we are close. He's my fa-friend." He corrected himself, not quite sure yet if he should reveal that he was a pureblood. "And even if he wasn't. He's still with Alan and I like…" his cheeks flushed anew, "I like you, Senpai."

William blinked at the confession, surprise welling up inside him. A spring of happiness sprouted, growing steadily throughout his body like a blooming flower. He took a hesitating step closer to the blond. "I like you, too..."

Ronald raised his gaze to meet William's, "Really? I mean…I never said anything because you're my boss and it'd be inappropriate…and I was sure you were already with Grell-senpai…Not to mention whenever I mess up you get hurt in some way…"

"We are not at work now, Ronald, right now, I am not your boss. I am just William, you don't need to treat me any differently than you would anyone else." he frowned slightly at the blond's statement. "Grell has...a unique way of communicating with people; he flirts because its a way for him to show affection, though he means little by it. By that, I mean he has a tendency to go after anything with legs..."

He shuddered at the memory of a certain Christmas event a couple of years before, "Though I wish it was limited to _living_ things... A table is not appropriate to form relationships with... Though I do believe he is seeing someone else." He had a vague memory of a certain silver-haired Reaper (who he may or may not idolize) getting cozy with the redhead on Halloween night.

"A—a table?" Ronald blinked, just how drunk did someone have to get to start flirting with a table?

"A good excuse for me to ban vodka at future events" William noted dully, desperately trying to erase the memory from his mind.

The blond's body was practically inches away from his own and he reached out, brushing a stray lock of hair from Ronald's face, "It doesn't matter if I get hurt, you are worth any pain delivered upon my body."

Ron shook the thoughts of Grell and a table from his mind and looked up at William, "Then…let me take you out on a date sometime!" he said, putting on one of his brightest smiles.

He blinked in surprise in the proposition, then smiled slightly, "I will look forward to it then..." he murmured softly, playfully toying with Ronald's adhoge, "Please don't tell me that that makes me the girl in this." Despite the plea, his tone was teasing and humorous. Slowly, he leaned forward, only to pull back in a split second; "Sorry... May I kiss you?"

Ronald crossed his arms, "We are both men, Mister Spears. I don't see why we can't both wear the pants in this relationship." He tilted his head up and smirked; "Nothing stopped you before, did it?" he popped up onto his toes to close the distance between them, pressing his lips up into William's.

William made a small noise of surprise, but melted into the kiss, cupping Ronald's head in his hands. He exhaled heavily, cradling the smaller blond close, as if he were fragile. Of course, William knew otherwise, but considering the age difference, to him the blond was something he needed to protect.

Protect, cherish, and love.

During the kiss, Ronald inhaled, breathing in William's scent, his lips curling upwards. He couldn't remember the last time he had felt so happy. Hell, this far surpassed the time when he had gotten the toy scythe he had wanted for his fifth birthday. Slowly, their kiss parted and he lingered inches from William's lips, "Come on, lets go find Soul."

William nodded, a smile barely gracing his lips. He reluctantly parted ways from Ronald, his hand sliding into the blond's, entwining their fingers. "Yes" he breathed. He would feel much better after he knew his dog was safe and sound.

Leading Ronald from the house, he stepped out into the darkened, night street outside. Something caught his eye, and he pushed the blond back into the house slight, green eyes watching cautiously.

A man was lurking about the streets, close to his house; it was Hans. William cursed, waiting until he passed by; it appeared that the man had returned after all.

Once he was out of sight, Will led Ronald out again, carefully and quietly running with him up the sidewalk.

Anger boiled up within Ronald, seeing the German again, but by the grip William had on his hand, there was no doubt that Will wanted him to stay close. So he did, running along with him until they were a fair distance away from Hans. "William, sir…what…just why is he after you like that?" he asked.

William hesitated at first, but then relented; if he was going to be dating Ronald, and the blond had become rather involved with the problem, then the other Reaper had at right to know.

Finding a park bench to sit on, he held Ronald's hand tightly, cleared his throat, and looked him in the eyes, "What I am about to tell you" he said in a low, serious tone. "You are to never repeat to anyone, especially those at work. Do you understand me?"

When he was sure he had the blond's word, he began his tale.

"A good number of decades ago, give or take over a hundred at least, I was murdered by a rogue demon ravaging my hometown in Western Germany. My brother, exactly like me in appearance aside from a couple of differences, had irritated the monster on accident and was killed before I was. Despite this, I was the one reborn at age ten; I was still too young to be a full fledged Reaper, so they sent me to a caregiver. But that story is not important now. In any case, when I entered the academy, four years later, they assigned me a mentor…

"That was Hans." He took a calming breath before continuing on.

"I'm sure you have heard about the ways Reapers are created from biology class at the Academy, so you will understand what I mean when I say Hans in a pureblood. Back then, it was hard to find able Reapers being reincarnated from humans, so many resorted to attempt breeding and procreating. The very few children born were often given the impression that they were better than anyone else, spoiled and given huge egos. They believed over time that purebloods held higher power than a normal born Reaper—Hans is one of those Reapers.

"I detest purebloods for that reason; they are all the same, stuck up, stubborn beings that can't open an eye to anyone but themselves and their own 'kind'. It sickens me..." He took a deep breath, trying to relax, "Anyway, Hans had taken me on as a student. He was never impressed with me, constantly beating me down and criticizing every thing I did. Nothing would please him, because to him I was 'bad blood' in the perfect system.

"Still, I bore with it, determined to show that I was capable of becoming an efficient Reaper. I had to work my way to the top and take in every opportunity I got to make it to where I was. Something was still not right though; for a number of weeks, Hans had been giving me lewd looks. I believed, foolishly, that I had gotten through to him. I grew closer to him, finally willing to believe that I had been accepted by my own mentor… I was wrong, and one night proved it all…" William closed his eyes, hoping that reliving all this wouldn't bring back his nightmares.

"I had been returning from a training exercise when Hans found me. I greeted him at first, thinking he had come round to visit or drop something off. Suddenly, he grabbed me, forcing me against the wall of the storage room. Before I could fight back, his lips were upon mine. After that...everything was lost. I had no control over the situation, and had my body violated mercilessly.

"I couldn't tell what happened; I didn't want to remember what happened. I walked around for days in a daze; fear preventing me from telling anyone what had occurred in the weapon storage that night. But it wasn't the only night…he returned many times after that, and each time, I was rendered helpless. Being stronger, older, and a lot smarter, he had the upper hand.

"I realized, I was never anything to him but a sex toy. Something he could play with. Oh, he had excuses… Having intercourse with him would _cure_ my "bad blood" status, he wanted to see my _true_ strength and potential, he wanted to _bare_ a pure-blood offspring but only saw me _fit_ to carry it, this was his way of showing discipline to all his charges, or that he...he _loved_ me.

"I tried to believe the last one more than anything, but deep down I knew it wasn't true. I knew it was for him, only him…he just wanted me for my time and body. Nothing else.

"Eventually, someone found out…a visiting Reaper from London, one of the high ranking members. He caught Hans trapping me in a classroom, and eavesdropped on the entire ordeal. He has never said anything about it to anyone, after I begged him to keep it a secret. It would have put me on the line against everything I worked towards… After all, we Reapers are supposed to be cold, heartless beings on the job. How could they trust that to someone who had gone through emotional trauma?

"In any case, the Reaper had me transferred almost immediately to his division here in London. He took me under his wing..." William sighed, "And now he's back to reclaim what he had lost..." He blinked as something warm and wet slid down his cheek; in the midst of his talking, he had started crying.

Ronald stayed quiet for a long moment after that. The memories laid out before him were horrid, and he ached to comfort the older man. He couldn't imagine living through such a horrible thing, of course he was still a teenager, and had lived a comfortable and sheltered life with his family…his parents. A sharp pain seemed to pierce his heart. William hated purebloods…and, if Will ever found out that he was also a pureblood, he'd think that Ron was the same as Hans…he'd hate him. Eric…Alan…his beloved parents would have to be kept a secret…which meant that William had to be a secret if they were to stay together.

"W-Will…" He pulled him into a hug, half to comfort him, half to try and hide the hurt he felt.

William flinched slightly from the sudden contact, but relaxed, breaking out of his stupor to wrap his arms around the blond. He blinked, looking down in confusion. Had he disturbed the blond too much? Guilt started to gnaw away at his chest; he placed a gentle peck on Ronald's forehead, "Ronald...? Are you alright?"

"Fine…" he lied, trying to push the thoughts of William hating him from his mind, "I just…I can't imagine going through what you have…"

William didn't answer, merely resting his cheek on the top of Ronald's head. Stroking the soft blond hair, he exhaled through his nose, closing his eyes.

There was more to the story, other pieces, but he did not want to remember any of them at the moment—the pain was too much to bear with those memories, "I just want to forget them. But I can't; they are a part of me, a part of my past. No matter what I do or where I go, they will always be there as a reminder..."

Ron sighed, hating how awkward things had gotten, "Come on. We keep getting distracted. Lets find Soul so you can take her home and make sure she's alright." He pulled away and stood up, holding out his hand, "It's getting cold out here anyway."

William nodded, adjusting his glasses with a finger. Taking Ronald's hand, he let himself be guided down the street, all the while having his guard up. Ronald may have thought that they were away from the danger, but William never put it past Hans to pull something unexpected.

Therefore, Ronald walked them through the streets while William kept watch. He clenched his fist in anger, hatred boiling in his veins. The thought of Soul lying injured—or worse, dead—somewhere, ate away at him.

She had tried to save him; he had to find her at all costs. He blinked when they came across one house, the lights still one. "Who the bloody hell stays up at this hour?" he murmured, more to himself than anyone else. He paused when he heard a faint whimper from inside, his eyes widening a fraction. "Soul..."

Ronald bit his lip, looking at the house, "Think that's her?" he asked, relieved that it wasn't his house, but his neighbor's.

William nodded, starting to pull Ronald towards the house.

"WHERE THE 'ELL HAVE YOU BEEN?" a thunderous voice boomed, making William jump, looking around confused.

Startled, Ronald jumped as he pulled away from William, cursing under his breath as he turned to see Eric in full-out 'angry father' mode. "I…I gotta go…sorry!" he gasped, backing towards Eric, "I hope Soul is okay." He left little room for much else as he turned to run to Eric, hoping to still keep his secret…keep William liking him.

William stared after Ronald in shock and confusion, watching the blond's retreating form. What was that just now? He could have sworn that was Eric's voice. Then something clicked in his head; what if the blond had been visiting Eric and Alan before he went to William's aid?

That explained why Eric sounded so upset and worried.

He was concerned for Ronald's safety, but pushed it aside, knowing it was best to trust the blond to take care of himself; though the threat of danger still lurked about. If Ronald was with Eric, then he would be safe.

Walking up to the door, he straightened his clothes and brushed himself off, trying to make himself presentable.

Meanwhile, Eric was absolutely fuming, watching as his son ran up beside him. "Where th' fuck have ya been, boy? Yer mum's been worried sick, an' so have I!" he yelled, Scottish accent coming out full blast. Grabbing Ronald by the scruff, he pulled him over to the house, "Further more, wha' th' is this dog doin' here?!"

"I…I was busy! I'm not a kid anymore, Dad! I told mom I'd be back, and I am! Not like anything happened!" The blond protested before pausing, "Dog? What dog..? Wait! If Soul is here, why'd barking come from Mister Miller's house? The dog is W—Mister Spears'…"

"Miller got a Doberman last week, you know that!" Eric paused, and then gave Ronald an odd look. "Spears? His dog?"

William cursed, limping away from the house, leg bitten and slightly bleeding. How was he supposed to know a Doberman lived in the house? There ought to have been a sign warning visitors of the animal lurking inside; though the Reaper had apologized over and over again for his leg. It was no matter; it would heal within an hour at least; the bite was very minor, considering the dog was still a puppy.

William had waved him off, too tired to deal with any more issues that night. All he wanted to do was find Soul and see about possibly finding a hotel for the night—he didn't feel safe at home with Hans lurking about his street.

He saw two figures standing by the street-lamp up ahead; recognizing the blond hair, he sped up.

"Slingby? Knox?"

"I did not know Miller got a dog last week! You know I can't stand to be around the creatures!" Ronald protested, and then stiffened as he heard William call out, "Listen, I'm sorry I just ran off, okay? I'll just go home now. We can talk about it later." He turned and fled down the street.

Eric watched as his son ran off, knowing that his mother would give him hell for being out so late without notification. Turning to William, he watched as the man limped up the street. "Look's like ya met the Doberman pup, eh?" he teased, earning a glare in response.

"That-" William cut himself off, knowing that if he wanted Slingby's help, he needed to play friendly. "Listen, have you seen my-"

"Dog?" Eric interrupted, already knowing what the man was going to ask. "Ronald told me. Alan found her on our front porch, half awake. She's fine now, just antsy. I'll get 'er fer ya."

He walked off, leaving William standing by the light. The man exhaled, glad for a moment's rest; leaning against the post, he watched as his leg slowly started to heal, the bite mark closing to minor pin holes.

It was fully sealed by the time Eric came back, a happy Soul bouncing ahead. William let out a huge breath of relief, kneeling down and meeting his faithful dog in a hug. Soul's tail wagged uncontrollably; something smelt different about her master—the smell of a mate? Maybe the blonde boy? She hoped it wasn't the mean brunet that had hurt William earlier on. Licking his face, she climbed off the man, shaking her fur out.

"She'll be okay now" Eric nodded, watching as William returned the gesture in agreement.

William summoned a portal, stepping through it with Soul, a word of gratitude sent to the blond Reaper. "Thank you, Slingby. Give Alan my thanks as well, and Ronald if you see him."

Eric blinked in surprise, watching as the portal fizzled to a close. "The 'ell went on there? Couldn't have 'e jus' walked home?"

Pushing the thought from his mind, the Scotsman sighed and turned back towards his house, bracing himself for the fretting husband he had waiting inside.


	8. A Nice Family Dinner

**Blood Relations **

**Chapter 8**

Sneaking inside had sounded like the ideal move to Ronald, slipping in though his bedroom window which he always kept unlocked, and grabbing a nice hot shower before his parents came down on him for being out so late… However, it was not to be, as he found his angry mother standing with his arms crossed in the corner of his room when he opened the window and slinked in.

"Ronald Oliver Knox Humpheries-Slingby!" Alan's voice rang out the blond's full Pure-blooded name.

Ronald flinched, "H-hey, mum…"

"Don't you dare 'hey, mum' me, young man! Do you realize how worried you made your father and I? He's out there right now looking for you!"

"I know, ma, I just ran into him…"

"Then why are you sneaking back in through your window?"

"Because I wanted a shower _before_ the lecture!"

Eric groaned as he slipped into the house, hearing Alan bellowing from upstairs. So he had already gotten to their son, probably while the boy was sneaking in—he wasn't a fool, he had caught the blond on more than one occasion slipping in through the windows of the house; such a memorable occasion would have been when Ronald was eight and he was sneaking in to retrieve a cricket ball he had coincidently tossed through another window upstairs.

He was of course fuming and thoroughly annoyed, but at the moment, it would be best to go up and observe. Stepping into the bedroom, he watched the ordeal going on between Alan and Ronald.

"It's dangerous out there, Ron!" Alan scolded, "You're a working reaper now, you should know it isn't safe! Demons are on the move and you, young man, are not to be out alone!"

"Mum, I'm fine! I wasn't alone! Dad! A little help here?" Ron huffed, taking notice of his father in the doorway.

"I ain' gettin' involved in this!" Eric held his hands up in defense. "Though, I believe he _was_ with William, Alan."

He stepped back, making it clearly evident that he was not going to speak up again unless need be.

"William..?" Alan frowned, looking at Ronald, "Work-related?"

"…Sort of? He…was having some issues with that nasty old German representative. He's had me helping with the meetings about the demon attacks and all that." He said, twisting the truth.

Eric raised an eyebrow in suspicion.

"Spears? The cold-hearted, stick up the ass boss of ours at work? Yer sure ya have the same guy?" He paused for a moment, then jumped back in hastily. "Wait, wait. This... 'German'. Would he happen ta have wavy brown hair waxed back, square-faced and tromping 'round like a ponce?"

Ronald rolled his eyes, "Mister Spears isn't all that bad, Papa, he's just dedicated to his job, is all. And yeah. The guy who acts like he owns the place? That's him." he paused, "That's also the guy who gave me this…" he added, remembering the bruise upon his face, and touching it lightly.

Eric nodded slightly. "I remember him. Asshat called me a 'pillock' when 'e passed me in the hallway. Saw 'im when I dropped yer mother off in the infirmary. Looked real pissed when 'e stormed out."

He gave Ronald a stern look.

"Now. Don' ya go messin' 'round with men like tha'. I don' know the guy, but already I can tell 'e ain' good news. Nasty piece o' work... Stay away from 'im, do ya understand? I don't want ya gettin' into trouble."

Ron sighed, "Right, because I want him to punch me again for simply helping out my boss…" he muttered, leaving out how he'd grown angry at the man and started back-talking him, "Honestly, Pop, why would I even want to get mixed up with that git? I'll only do what I have to for work."

"Well, ya haven' listened before when we tell ya to leave things alone, so just puttin' it out there!" Eric said, not liking his son's attitude. "An' watch yer mouth!"

"What'd I say?" Ronald sighed and flopped onto his bed, "How come you've been harder on me ever since I passed my exam, dad? I thought You'd treat me like an adult after I passed…"

"I'll treat ya like an adult when ya start actin' like one!" Eric growled, his eye twitching. He could feel his irritation starting to spike, a sign things were close to turning nasty.

"But I am! I get to work on time more than you do when Mom isn't dragging you there! And I always get my work done before I have the threat of overtime… You just don't want me to grow up! I'm seventeen, dad! And my birthday is soon. I'm not that two-year-old making messes anymore."

"Ya act like a teenager though! This ain' 'bout yer work ethnics! Yer not listening ta yer mother 'r me, especially when its about somethin' important! Yer mouthing back t' much!" He was close to yelling; hell, his voice had gotten loud enough for it to considered shouting. "Times ain' safe anymore!"

"I mouth back because you don't listen to me, either! You don't give me room to prove I've grown up! This is the only way I can even hope to get across to you, dad! It's not like I snuck out to go party! I left, telling mom I was leaving for a bit, to go help mister Spears! Give me a break!" He pushed himself up and pushed his way to the door, stomped down the hall and slammed the bathroom door shut.

Alan sighed, "Well, that was successful…"

Eric just exhaled sharply, trying to cool his flaming anger. That boy; what would it take for him to listen for once? "'E's still too damn young! He doesn' understand the hell of the outside world yet..." He sat down on the bed, resting his head in his hands tiredly. "Oi, vey..." he groaned, the sound muffled through his palms. "Demons ain' no help neither... Swarming in clusters now. Can't get a fuckin' reap out without gettin' my ass nearly shaved off!"

"He'll learn…" Alan sat down next to his lover, rubbing soothing circles into his back, "I just hope he doesn't learn it nearly loosing his life…he takes a lot after you, you know. His temper… he got it all from you." He leaned in and kissed the back of his neck, "Eric, as much as we both miss the days when he was little and the most we had to worry about on a daily bases was if he'd attack us as soon as we got home from work, or if he is hiding under his bed because he terrorized the babysitter, he is almost eighteen. We have to give him some room to make mistakes."

Eric sighed softly, leaning into the touch. He pulled Alan close, turning his head to press a kiss to his cheek. "I know, I know, love... I jus'...I wish he'd understand more, 's all..." He nuzzled his neck, nipping playfully at the soft skin, but not enough to be deemed erotic. "How are ya feelin'?" he murmured, lips tickling Alan's flesh.

"Tired…" he leaned against Eric and glanced up at him, "as always when I have an attack and then stay up worrying over you and our son.

Eric rubbed his back soothingly, fingers kneading into the muscles, "'m sorry, love" he whispered, reaching up to cup Alan's face with his free hand.

"Great, then you can help with making dinner." Alan stood up, pulling his lover by the tie down towards the kitchen.

"Aw, c'mon Al! Ya know I suck at cooking!" It was true; one time, when Ronald was seven, and Eric was home alone for three days with him, he decided to cook them dinner. The result was the blond nearly setting the kitchen on fire. Eventually, Eric gave in, pouting as he was dragged along. "Fiiinnneee... But no blamin' me if anythin' gets set alight!"

"If you help without complaint, I'll not complain tomorrow when you get all touchy-feely with me at work." Alan challenged.

Eric perked up at that statement. "Annnnnd~ I get ta spray the neighbour's cat with the hose?" He batted his eyelashes teasingly, a faux innocent look upon his face. "Not like I've done it before, I mean... poor kitty needs a bath right?"

"You leave that poor cat alone, Eric Slingby! That poor thing has been through enough terrors because of Ronald's playing too rough with it as a kid!" he pulled out his apron and tied it about his waist.

"Relax, Al, I was jokin'" he walked over to the fridge, pulling out a package of eggs. "Ya wanna use these up?"

"Grab the cheese as well." He nodded, pulling out a pan, "You start grating the cheese, I'll start cooking."

Eric nodded, grabbing a block of cheddar from the bottom compartment. Setting the food on the counter, he searched for the grater in the cupboards. "Cheese... Ya used ta crave tha' all the time when ya were carryin' Ron..." he smirked at the brunet. "Ya got me up at one in the morn' just ta get ya some..."

"Cheese and chocolate with a side of ham-rolls." The brunet smiled as he started to crack eggs and whisk them together, "All Ronald, really. He still gets excited for all three of those things, though not together."

"Ugh, don' remind me" Eric made a face, grating the cheese. "Most o' it was fine, but cheese and bananas? Tha' was nasty..." Smirking, he set the finished cheese aside, he walked over behind Alan, wrapping his arms around the smaller man, resting his hands on his stomach like he used to when the brunet was pregnant. "Ya were adorable though, a little chubby seal pup!" he teased.

"You weren't the one eating it!" Alan protested, blushing as his lover came up behind him, "And no I wasn't. I was a big fat bag of uncontrollable emotions." He poured the eggs over the pan filled with vegetables and meat, taking a spatula out to make sure their meal didn't burn, "Add the cheese when the egg looks cooked on the top,"

Eric nodded, keeping an eye on the pan while gently caressing his lover, "Come now, tha's not nice. Ya were adorable, no matter wha' ya say" he kissed him on the cheek.

"I seem to remember you calling me a hell-spawn when I broke your hand in the delivery room." Alan protested.

"Did I? Probably slipped out—in my defense, tha' hurt like 'ell... Fer a little guy, ya got a huge amount of strength" he chuckled, resting his chin on the crook of Alan's neck. "Yer a lot stronger than me, tha's fer sure." Reaching out with a hand, he grabbed a handful of cheese and sprinkled it over the eggs.

"Of course I'm stronger than you. I carried our son for nine months on top of having Thorns." He spun away and grabbed plates to set the table, "It's nearly done. Why don't you go get Ronnie and try not to get either of your attitudes flared up again. I want a _nice_ family dinner."

Eric chuckled, ruffling Alan's hair, though a pang of sadness welled up inside of him at the mention of the Thorns. He tried to prevent it from showing, but he was never good with hiding emotions (hence, being the world's worst liar). "Yeah... I'll see how 'e's doin'" he said, starting to leave the kitchen.

Ronald stood in the bathroom, clad in nothing but a towel as he leaned over the sink , looking into the fogged mirror at the dark bruise marring his cheek. "Stupid German git…" he muttered, bitterly, pulling away from the mirror until his eyes caught sight of his lips and he paused to touch them, remembering how William's had pressed so perfectly against them.

Eric sauntered up to the bathroom, knocking lightly on the door. "Ronnie? Ya in there?" He sighed, now regretting having lost his temper earlier.

"Y-yeah. One…" he tore his attention away from his thoughts of William and turned to grab his pajamas, only to find he hadn't grabbed them out of his room, "…Shit…"

"Ronald?" Eric frowned, hearing his son swear. "Wha's wrong?"

"…Forgot my pants…" He mumbled. He hated having to streak back down the hall to get them after an incident about a year earlier. A nurse had showed up to discuss some paperwork with Alan, and she had left the sitting room to use the bathroom, only to run into Ronald doing just that, The towel had slipped, and he swore he'd die of embarrassment.

Eric paused, traversing into his and Alan's bedroom, going to the dresser and pulling out a pair of his own pyjama pants - they were a gift from Grell a couple of years before, and while he hated the childish sheep design he had to admit they were comfortable enough.

Heading back to the bathroom, he yanked open the door, tossed them in, then shut the door again to give his son privacy.

"Dunno where yer other pants are; ya kept moving yer clothes on us since ya turned sixteen. Those should fit ya though."

"…Fit me? I'm closer to Mum's size than yours!" Ronald's voice protested through the door before it opened and Ronald stepped out, wearing the pajamas; it's tie pulled tight around the waist and the bottoms rolled up a few times so that it didn't drag on the floor under his heel. He looked up at his father, "Dad…I am sorry I was gone longer than I thought I'd be…"

Eric reached over, pulling his son into a hug with a slight smile, ruffling his hair sneakily with his free hand. He sniggered when it stood on end, still damp from the shower, "Yer still young, by Reaper standards, and ya worry us a lot—tha's parental instinct. But we do it because we love ya, you know tha' right?"

"I know, but a little trust would be nice sometimes. I only get into trouble a little bit." He said, trying to duck out of his father's embrace.

"Dinner's getting cold, you two!" Alan's voice drifted up the stairs.

"We do trust ya, but yer still young—the world is a very nasty place; we just don't want to see ya get hurt, figuratively. Which reminds me... Yer mother made yer favorite" he chuckled softly. "Nope, ain' gettin' away from yer old man anytime soon!"

He hoisted Ronald up, securing him over shoulder as he walked downstairs to the kitchen.

"Daaad!" Ronald gasped in protest as he was carried like a sack of potatoes down into the kitchen.

Alan raised an eyebrow at the scene that walked into the kitchen, "I hope this means you two made up and will let me enjoy a nice family dinner."

"Yup~!" Eric chirped, plopping his son into a chair. Taking a seat next to Alan, he ruffled his son's hair again.

"Stop!" Ronald pouted, trying to comb his damp hair back down.

"Good, now eat up." Alan smiled, filling each of their plates.

Eric dug into his food, happily eating away at the egg dish. He was often known as a walking trash can at the office, eating just about anything. He hiccuped, slightly, grimacing at the slight burning sensation as food went down his throat too fast.

Alan and Ronald both ate at a slower pace, ignoring Eric's shoveling, both being all to used to it. Finally, Ronald broke the silence, "Mom…how long did you like dad before you went on a date with him?"

"W-what?" Alan started, freezing with his fork in the air.

Eric paused mid chew, giving Ronald a curious glance. He looked back and forth between Alan and his son before turning back to his meal, silently keeping an ear on the conversation.

"I…I just wonder, is all! You guys never talked to me about dating or anything and I…" his face went red.

"Like someone." Alan finished for him, sighing and brushing his hair out of his face.

"…Y-yeah…"

Eric swallowed his mouthful of food in his mouth, a task more difficult than expected. He wiped his mouth, looking at his son with a smirk. Though something twinged inside of him - he got a bad feeling from this conversation, "So, who's the chick?"

"Ch..? That doesn't matter!" he looked down at his plate, moving things around with his fork.

"Well, it kind of does matter, Ron." Alan said, setting his fork down and focusing on Ronald, "You're our son, after all."

"So" Eric rested his chin in his palm, looking intently at his son. "Who's got yer heart?"

"What? So you can scare them off? No thanks! Besides! It's just a…crush…" he said, realizing it was a lie as he remembered William's words and kisses…it wasn't a one-sided crush any longer…_they_ were something more… they were _together_.

"It's never 'just' a crush, Ronnie." Alan pointed out.

"Yer mother's right" Eric pointed out, grabbing another piece of egg with his fork. "Was the same case with yer mother an' I..." He swallowed, "Never told ya this, but... yer mother was my student."

"What? Really?" Ronald looked between his parents and his mother nodded.

"Your father is a stubborn man once he gets his mind set on something. He was assigned as my mentor after I passed my exam and joined dispatch. But he was more reckless than I was. I kept saving him, and getting him out of sticky situations out on the field. It felt more like I was training him. I was convinced that I hated him, too."

Ronald blinked in surprise, "…What changed your mind?"

Alan smiled gently, taking Eric's hand, "He proved he wasn't a complete idiot. Around the end of our partnership as mentor and student, I was diagnosed with Thorns…and it was frightening, and very distracting. While out on a collection, I was too caught up in my thoughts of my illness and didn't realize when a demon had shown up until it was on me. Eric saved me from it, and after that…I couldn't seem to keep my eyes off of him." he smiled wider, "The idiot was just too handsome. But, because of my illness, I refused to give in to my feelings. I didn't want to start a life with someone, only to be torn away by death. But Eric just wouldn't stop his flirting. Even after I admitted my illness to him. He only pursued me all the more. I finally had no choice but to give into my own feelings and his affections…a few years later, we had you."

Eric nodded in agreement, giving Alan a fond smile and a squeeze of the hand. "Damn straight" he growled playfully, leaning over to kiss his lover on the cheek. "Yer mother was the most beautiful creature I ever laid eyes on. Everything about 'im drew me in; the quiet shyness, diligence, loyalty, an' how adorable 'e was in any situation; a wee hissin' kitten!" He put his fork down to rub at Alan's cheek, "Stubborn as a mule, though. Even more than any woman I ever met; 'e resisted every attempt I made to get closer…though, it was plainly obvious he felt fer me, too. Ya can thank Grell fer those observations, cause _apparently_ I'm 'oblivious as fuck'."

He laughed slightly. "Ya know, we talked about kids before we had ya... I offered ta carry the baby, considerin' yer mother's Thorns an' all... I didn' want 'im ta get hurt even more... But, he disagreed, and figured I woulda pussied out after six month 'r somethin'... Turns out I got 'im pregnant anyways."

"More like you offered when I already was pregnant." Alan corrected him, "Which had been a shock, seeing as how hard it is to conceive a pureblood reaper. I believe you are the first in two-hundred years. We had thought we'd best adopt…but you stubbornly wouldn't let that happen." He chuckled.

Ron groaned, "When did this topic come up?"

"I didn't know at the time, ya told me afterwards" Eric protested. "Even so, I'm amazed at how this came ta be. It's hard enough fer Reapers to conceive…actually, by many standards, others consider our species sterile. Its not true, but close ta it." He grinned cheekily. "I'll never ferget when ya first kicked... We were doin' an overtime shift, and all ofa sudden, yer mother yelps next ta me..."

"Dad! Can't we talk about normal things?" Ron protested.

"But you were such a cute baby. We love talking about it." Alan teased.

"...An' he thought he was being eatin' alive from the inside out!" Eric laughed out loud. "Poor, Al... Spent the rest o' the night cuddlin' up ta me... I still say it was a ploy ta get me ta do yer paperwork." He nudged the brunet playfully. "Ronald, fess up, ya were an adorable wee bairn~. Ah, I remember when I took ya ta the beach fer the first time... Ya pissed on the lifeguard, that was funny as 'ell!"

"Mum! Dad! Really!" the blond buried his face in his hands, elbows on the table.

"This is our right as your parents. You should be used to that by now." Alan teased.

"Ahhhh, we're just teasin' ya, son! Lighten up" Eric chuckled, slapping Ronald on the back, "Seriously though, ya can come ta me if ya need anything about datin'!"

"Why? So I can see first-hand your over-reaction to me having my first kiss? First date?"

"No, I- wait..." he frowned for a moment, then dismissed. "Never mind, forget it..." No... Not this soon, he was just being figurative...

"…And if I have already?" Ronald knew he was pressing his luck by teasing his father, but he knew the look on the man's face, and it was just too tempting.

"I wanna know the gal." Eric replied stubbornly, his eye twitching. This was not turning out well.

Ronald rolled his eyes, "Relax, dad…I never kissed a girl…" he smirked, "Though I know a lot of the secretaries at work want too."

"Ronald." Alan gave his son a warning glance.

"Ha! Yer old man's done over _half_ of the secretaries _and_ General Affairs! Ya gotta long way ta go if ya wanna beat me, son!" He smirked. "'Course yer mother wins in all areas of sex!"

"DIDN'T WANT TO HEAR THAT!" Ronald cried, covering his ears as his mother's voice rang out at the same time.

"ERIC SLINGBY!"

"I'm not even interested in that! I only want to be with the one…" Ronald blushed.

"Well, at least our boy is thinking with the right head unlike his father."

"Wha'? Wha' did I say?" Eric shot his lover a confused look.

"You know perfectly well what you said!" Alan said, standing up and dumping his plate in the sink, "And you can do dishes." He added, walking out of the room.

"…You made mum jealous again. You know he hates it when you bring up past relationships." Ronald muttered.

Eric groaned, burying his face in his hands. "Shiiiiitt..." He got up, walking out after Alan, leaving Ronald alone. "Alan, honey! I was kidding!"

"No you weren't!" Alan said, locking the bedroom door and plopping on the bed.

"Al..." he sighed, trying the bedroom door only to find it locked. "Sweetheart, it was a joke! I'm sorry!" He leaned against the frame, wearily running a hand through his hair.

"Not a joke! I know you did have relations with those women!" the stubborn reply came.

"Did I stay with any of them? Did I choose them? C'mon, Al! Who did I choose; ya know the answer, love" he protested slightly, trying the door again. "None were more lovely and wonderful like yerself... Yer the only one I truly love, Alan!"

Alan was quiet for a long moment, "…Dishes first. Then maybe you can come in."

Eric sighed, but knew there was no other way of talking Alan out of it. Tromping back downstairs, he headed over to the sink; turning on the water, he let it warm over his hands for a moment, waiting until it grew warm prior to cleaning the mess from dinner.

"Lock you out?" Ronald asked, finishing up his dinner and handing his plate to his father, "Mom only gets jealous because he loves you, you know."

"I know..." he sighed, scrubbing away at the porcelain. "Word of advice, Ron... If ya ever get a lover, don' lose yer temper with them like I do on the rare occasion. I dunno how yer mother puts up with me sometimes..."

"That'd only work if you don't go scarring them off before I get a chance to." He helped by drying and putting the dishes away.

Eric said nothing to that, focusing on the dishes; though truly, his mind was racing. Something seemed off with his son's earlier behavior.


	9. Birthday Lunch

**Blood Relations **

**Chapter 9**

Work had been slow and unproductive that day, even for the normally strict dark-haired supervisor. He twiddled his pen in his hand, brow furrowed at the semi-filled form lying innocently in front of him. After the incident, William had taken refugee in the Undertaker's shop—the silver haired Reaper was welcoming, even at the late hour of eleven at night. One look at William's slightly ruffled appearance and the bandaged dog told him all he needed to know—he never asked a single question as he let the man inside.

The younger Reaper was grateful, thanking the mortician while praying dearly that no one else had seen him in such a state. Unfortunately, Grell happened to be in the Undertaker's company. He stifled a groaned, trying in vain to forget the awkward memory of having the redhead stare at his bruised and battered body while the Undertaker had tended to his wounds.

Since that night, Grell had been giving him worried looks, constantly passing by him in the hallways coincidentally-on-purposely, all to see if he was alright.

Just a couple of hours earlier, the man had trekked into his office, a cup of Earl Grey on hand. He set it down in front of his supervisor, sat down, asked how he was feeling, then proceeded to question whether or not he wanted to talk or needed anything else.

He denied both offers.

He wasn't sure why he should be worried; it was broad daylight, and more over, the middle of a work day. No body would be able to enter his office without him noticing, and if someone (Hans) did try to attack him, it would attract a large amount of attention within seconds.

Not to mention, he had brought Soul with him for the occasion; since staying at his house, and even in the neighborhood at all, were currently out of the question, he had taken lodge up with the Undertaker. Unfortunately, while Soul was well behaved for a dog, being near the retired Reaper made her nervous and skittish; just that past night, she had been startled by the man, bolting out of the shop into the busy streets of London. It had taken William hours to find her again.

So, keeping her there was another option shot dead; his last resort was to bring her to work. Undertaker had helped, signing a clearance form providing permission to allow the animal in the premises of the office.

He set his pen aside to scratch her behind the ears, currently curled asleep at his feet under the desk.

Still, his situation had some positive points—he was rarely bothered by Sutclff aside from the new paranoia the redhead displayed, got paperwork turned in on time without having to lecture the (idiotic) underlings in the main bullpen, and-

Hearing the door open, paper flop onto his desk, and feel a familiar weight upon his lap, a smile graced his features. Yes, this was final and best highlight of his predicament.

The days passed slowly for Ronald, though they didn't lack in excitement between tossing glares at Hans' turned back, avoiding his parents' over-protective nature at work, and stealing secret kisses in William's office. Of course, he'd also have demon problems with Grell out on the field, as well, but at worst he'd returned with a small scrape, a few bruises, and some blood-splatter from Grell's chainsaw. He had to hand it to his mentor; the man loved his violence and blood.

Feeling in a great mood over not seeing Hans at all that day, Ronald entered William's office with a large grin and his paperwork under his arm. He tapped the door closed before approaching his boss's desk, though he managed to stop himself from skipping, and gently set his paperwork down in Will's review pile before walking around and slipping into his boyfriend's lap, kissing his cheek, "It's my birthday today and you still owe me that date." He whispered, tossing out a not-so-subtle hint.

Leaning over, Will pressed a swift, gentle kiss to the blond's forehead, smirking down at him cheekily. Hearing the blond's desiring request, he chuckled, leaning back in his seat to nuzzle his lover on the neck. Pressing kisses into the pale, smooth skin, he sighed out in contentment. "I owe you, don't I?" he purred, lavishing the boy with showered yet subtle love. "Well... how about, a very special surprise for tonight? I promise you will love it~"

He smiled, remembering the 'present' he had been planning for the blond for the last couple of days. Ronald had long ago voiced his wishes to see the country outside of England, so he had worked hard to give the blond that exact opportunity.

The Undertaker and he had a friend outside of London, a werewolf who bred winged horses and unicorns; with his permission, they would be borrowing a horse and flying out of England. Winged horses and unicorns were both incredibly fast, much faster than normal horses and definitely a better option than traveling by boat or teleportation (portalling was another option, but William wanted this to be more romantic and, this being his first date, he didn't want to seem boring or stingy).

Now it was just a question of whether or not Ronald was scared of horses or heights.

"Have you ever ridden a horse before? Or flown?"

Ronald blinked in surprise, "Flown? Of course not! But I did ride a horse with my father when I was younger…Why?" he asked as he reached up a gloved hand to push a stray lock of hair off William's forehead.

William caught Ronald's hand, bring to his lips. "No reason, just rather curious today" he smirked, dabbing a light kiss to the blond's fingers. "Excited for later?"

Soul perked her head up, regarding the blond for a second before yawning and slipping back to sleep.

"I get to spend my birthday with you, why wouldn't I be?" he grinned, a light hue of pink staining his cheeks, "I just hope you don't get stolen away from me by the evil overtime."

"Oooh, that evil overtime could never steal _you_ away from me." he purred, busying himself with delivering a playful nip to his lover's neck. "No, I made sure I got tonight off no matter what."

The blond grinned wider and he leaned in closer to the older reaper, tipping his head to catch his lips, "Then I won't accept a rain-check no matter what!"

"Absolutely not" William agreed, capturing the blond in a heated kiss. He ran his hands up and down his sides, purring like a lion in heat. All he saw, all he heard was Ronald. Ronald was everything; he was here, he was happy, and William could never have been more at peace in his current surroundings.

Until Soul decided it was a good idea to lick Ronald's ankle.

The blond broke the kiss abruptly with a gasp, stiffly jumping and somehow finding himself on the supervisor's desk. "S-s-sorry…"

William chuckled softly, pulling the blond back into his lap, rocking him back and forth in the chair like a baby. Pressing him to his chest, he stroked the short two-toned locks, hoping to calm the man through gentle affections. "She won't hurt you, she likes you." he murmured, running a hand down Ronald's back soothingly.

"I—I know, but I just can't help it…" he shuttered, gripping William's vest as he tried to let Will calm him down, though Soul was still so close.

"Here." He gently took a hold of Ronald's hand, bringing down to Soul's face. "Your trust me right? I won't let anything happen to you, I promise. Just trust me."

"O-of course I trust you…" he bit his lip, trembling slightly as his hand was brought closer to the dog's nose.

Soul nudged his hand gently, licking it tenderly. She sniffed at him, looking up innocently with curious green eyes.

Ron looked from the dog to his lover, "I…I don't know what I'm supposed to do…"

William smiled, pleased at how his lover was progressing. "Pet her. She won't bite you, I promise..."

"I…don't know if I'm ready for that, Will…" he said quietly, not wanting to excite the dog when his hand was so close.

"Here... I'll help you. It's okay" he pressed a reassuring kiss to his lover's cheek.

Gently moving Ronald's hand, he ran it over the dog's soft fur, Soul remaining calm and quiet the entire time. Ronald tried to keep calm, but a small tremble ran through his body and he shifted closer to William, pressing against him as his hand ran over the large dog's soft fur.

William smiled at him, pressing comforting kisses on the blond's neck over and over again. "See? It isn't so bad... I know you're scared... But it's going to be alright..."

Ronald let William guide his hand over fur for a moment longer before pulling away and looking at him, "…were you ever afraid of anything like this?"

William froze at the question, his mind falling back to one of the more painful memories of his past he had refused to share with Ronald, "...Yes. At one point in my early life as Reaper, I was given a...gift. In the dark time of my life, when I could not escape Hans, it was both a beacon of light and a living hell. It terrified me, and at the same time, comforted me. But tragedy ended everything, and I lost..." He shook his head, drifting away on a tangent. "Never mind. Too depressing" he forced a smile, nuzzle the blond affectionately. "So, how has your day been so far, meine Liebe?"

Ronald hid a frown and hugged his lover…such a depressing past the man seemed to have… "Oh, you know, work, work, and more work." He shrugged and grinned, "But it's better now." He leaned in, pressing his lips to William's.

William melted into the kiss, molding his lips against his lover's. Yes, he mentally agreed, this was better—he had Ronald; his little ball of fluff. He paused for a moment, a soft chuckle escaping. Ronald reminded him somewhat of a dormouse—fluffy, soft, but with a curious nature and bold disposition. "Dormouse" he murmured softly into the younger Reaper's ear. "Sweet Dormouse..."

Blushing, Ronald pulled back to look at his lover, "…What?" Had his lover just called him a 'dormouse'? It brought back memories. When he was a toddler his mother often called him his 'little mouse', for reasons he never understood…and now William was choosing a mouse-related pet-name? He wasn't going to object, it was much better than when Grell called him 'Mustard Seed', and it seemed that most people that got to know him liked to give him nicknames.

William smiled, cupping his lover's cheek with his hand. If anyone had walked into the office at that moment, their jaw would have dropped at the mere sight of Spears sitting, not only relaxed, but with another reaper cradled against him. Around the office, William was known as a 'pillock', 'hard-arse', 'overtime giver', and 'looming shadow'. His personality was cold, strict, and very controlling—every other member of his office ate out of the palm of his hand, no questions asked.

It was because of this notion, perhaps, that the other reapers had considered him to always have an outright cold-hearted personality. But over the course of the past few days, he had shown Ronald that he was, outside of work, very calm, relaxed, and sensible. Just the other day, Ronald had accompanied him home. William, wanting to find some way to spend time with his boyfriend, had proposed they bake scones. The result was a mess of flour, batter, and way too much egg, but the laughter and smiles Ronald had given him made it worthwhile.

Worthwhile it was.

During any shared overtime, when the sun would start to set, Ronald would wander into his office, collapse tiredly into his lap, and sleep for the last hour of the day. His hands held close to his chest, legs hitched up over the arm rest, body curled into a semi-ball.

A little dormouse.

"Dormouse. You are my sweet dormouse, Ronald...Small, cute, and soft." he kissed up along his jawline. "_Ich liebe dich_..."

"…Mum used to call me 'little mouse'…" Ronald admitted, "When I was a toddler, that is. I'm just surprised you'd call me similar." He paused, "And I'm not 'cute'." He added in a stubborn protest.

"Yes, you are." William poked him lightly on the nose, He smirked at the nickname. "My little Dormouse."

The blond blushed harder, "I'm not!" he leaned in, hiding his face in the crook of William's neck, "…no pet names in public please…it's bad enough when Grell-senpai does it…"

William held him close, humming softly in his ear. "I have enough problems with Sutcliff as it is..." he murmured, remembering the incidents from earlier, "I swear, he acts worse than my mother used too..."

"…What do you mean?" The blond asked, looking into his lover's eyes. He only ever saw Grell when they went out onto the field for collections. Then the thought hit him, and he felt the pull of jealousy, "He hasn't been hanging off you like he did that first day we met, has he?"

"Not exactly, but he had been rather watchful... he caught wind of what happened to me that night..." he refused to fully mention the assault on him by Hans, "You're not the only one who has it out for Hans's blood now." He tilted his head to the side, rubbing comfortingly at the blond's back, "You have nothing to fear... He has no interest in me despite his unruly behavior... His eyes are set on another. I have no interest in him, only you. My sweet one..." He pressed a kiss to his forehead.

"You seem to be in a better mood today, Will…" the younger reaper observed, "All these 'sweet' and 'cute' comments…"

"Yes. I haven't had to remove myself from my seat once to yell at the lot of you in the office for slacking off. Everyone is productive" he said, though his tone was teasing. "Truthfully, I was in a poor mood before you showed up. You made my day."

Ronald grinned, leaning into his ear, "Have you had Lunch, yet, senpai? I have an hour and a half before I have to meet up with Grell-senpai again for a collection…lets go out."

William smiled, an idea already forming in his mind. "I know just the place" he said, gently lifting Ronald off his lap. Getting up from the chair, he groaned softly as his rather stiff back popped back into place. Soul perked up, sneaking out from under the desk, sensing an opportunity to get out of the stuffy office room.

Taking Ronald by the hand, he lead him from the office, watching as his dog bolted ahead of them, wanting to get outside. "How would you feel about trying some foreign food? Perhaps from my Germanic roots?" He knew of a little salon that rested close to the office, in the heart of the city. It served a mixture of Slavic and Teutonic dishes, including specialties from Austria, Italy, and Germany. It seemed fitting, considering where he was taking Ronald later that evening.

"No harm in trying." The blond shrugged, "I'm not a picky eater…oh! Let me go grab my jacket from my desk real quick." He said, pulling away and rushing to his cubicle to grab his suit jacket off the back of his chair where it had been hanging and turning to hurry back to his lover.

William smiled at the blond, holding out his arm. "Shall we go?" he said casually.

"Yeah." Ronald grinned, taking Will's arm. The offices were practically empty as most people were taking their lunch in the cafeteria, or out on a collection, so neither of them worried of being spotted as they stepped onto the lift to go down to the main floor. Once alone in the lift, Ronald turned suddenly, popping up on his toes to press his lips to Will's, pushing him to the wall of the elevator with a small smirk curling his mouth. Normally, he behaved in such situations, but it was his birthday, and he was going to do what he wanted.

William made a noise of surprise, backing into the elevator wall. This was too open; too public. Anyone could come in and catch them; yet Ronald seemed insistent. Pulling away, William growled softly. "That behavior is hardly appropriate for the work place" he said in his normal stern voice. Yet he ate his own works, leaning over to trail a layer of passionate kisses along the nape of Ronald's neck. Running his hand up and down the blond's sides, he hummed softly, breath tickling the ivory smooth skin beneath his lips.

A fire of lust and affection began to burn his heart, fed by the cedars of love and compassion. This boy in front of him, tasting of sugar and spice, was his. He would not let anyone else touch the precious gold that was Ronald Knox. Only his fingers were allowed to hold such a delicate treasure.

"It's my birthday. I'm aloud to kiss my boyfriend when and where I want! Besides, we are alone in the lift, and—" he pulled away, a slight tinge of pink staining his cheeks as the lift slowed to a stop and the doors opened. He smirked, stepping out of the small compartment and glancing back at William, "You coming?"

William nodded, following Ronald out into the main hallway. Hidden in the shadows, neither Reaper had noticed a rather infuriated German lurking. Soul bounced happily, trotting up to Ronald and William as the two approached the front doors to the Dispatch. William attached a leash to her collar, offering his arm to Ronald once again.

The sun shining down upon the snowy ground, glistening over the icicles formed on trees. Up and down the city streets, child Reapers played in snow patches, let out early from studies. Their supervisor watched them with an eagle eye, making sure none wandered too far from sight.

Couples held hands, friends gossiped, and some workers trotted past with scythes held over their shoulders, back from a morning reap. Shops bustled, voices filled the air, and the smell of freshly baked bread lingered about.

Just like the human Realm—how the two were so different yet similar in life.

William held Ronald tight, steady against the ice, merging into the crowd as yet just another couple out for a walk with the dog.

Ronald shivered lightly, only just realizing that he forgot the bright orange scarf his mother had insisted he take that day, knowing he'd be going out on collections. But it wouldn't be that big of a deal, they weren't going far. He leaned against Will's shoulder as they walked, snow crunching under his white shoes, "What's your favorite dish at this restraint we are going to?" he asked curiously.

"Wurst; it's a kind of German sausage" William explained. "Very flavorful and juicy…my father used to make it for us. After he died, I never had it again, not until after I became a Reaper."

He smiled faintly, then frowned, noticing how much the blond shivered. Taking off his own scarf, he wrapped it around the blond. "There..." he smiled again. "I don't get cold as easily, so you can wear that."

Ronald's cheeks darkened and he sank into the simple black scarf, hiding his nose in it and breathing in William's scent, "Thanks…a-as long as you don't get too cold!"

William chuckled, pulling Ronald closer. "I won't" he said. "I'm used to cold weather...some may say it's because I'm cold myself." He said the joke in dry humor, though it was a rather well known rumor in the office.

As they continued down the street, he held out the leash to Ronald. "Do you want to help me walk her?" he asked softly, meaning for the blond to take a hold of his hand.

Ronald silently reached out, taking his hand, lacing gloved fingers with gloved fingers around the leather leash. His blush still hidden under the borrowed scarf, "How far is this place?" he asked.

William smiled, giving Ronald's hand a gentle squeeze. "Not too far, just another block" he said. "You should be proud of yourself; you've come so far in your fear..."

He watched as Soul gave Ronald an inquiring look.

Ronald blushed harder, "I have you here to protect me if she gets too close suddenly…" he mumbled.

"Am I your knight in shining armor?" he teased. "Soul is a very gentle creature, plus, I think she has learned by now that you aren't too overly fond of her. She knows to give Daddy's special friend his space."

Said dog barked, knowing that her master was talking about her.

"'Special friend'? Hmm? Wouldn't to a dog the term be closer to 'mate'? Ah!" the blond stiffened, realizing what the word implied, "N-n-not that we do that kind of thing!"

"It can be, depending on the situation - for us, probably yes... And I doubt that you want the dog to refer to you as 'Mommy'" he smirked, and then gave the younger Reaper a loving kiss on the lips as they came up to the restaurant.

"L-lets just go eat!" He stuttered, pulling his lover along by the hand until he realized he didn't know where their destination was located and he slowed to a stop.

William shook his head, gently guiding the blond up to the restaurant two doors down. "Reckless" he said, kissing the boy on the cheek. "But that is why I love you so."

Inside, a comfortably snug pub lay alive with life; waiters and waitresses bustled about, customers ate and chattered away happily, and folk music played in the background. William smiled; he loved going there; it gave him some time to unwind and relax from a hard day's work without worry of being scrutinized by the eye of his co-workers.

Ronald glanced about the dinning area, surprised at how busy they were. He and his family hardly ate out. Alan always insisted upon cooking himself as it was cheaper. "Are you sure there'll be a table available?" he asked.

"I should think so" William watched as a waiter approached them, green eyes shining in recognition.

"Mr. Spears! Schön dich zu sehen! Sind Sie hier zum Mittagessen?" he said enthusiastically, looking at the dark haired waiter.

"Ja, eigentlich ... Ich frage mich, wenn Sie einen Tisch für zwei hatten set up?" he answered, calmly taking Ronald's hand.

Seeing the boy beside the Supervisor and their entwined hands, the waiter smiled suddenly and nodded. "Natürlich, Sir. Hier entlang, bitte ..." he smiled, leading them down through the pub to another room with more tables, people scattered about and languages of German, Italian, and English were floating through the air.

The man led them to a window side table, facing the direction of a public park, sunlight dancing through the glass pane.

"I vill be back in a couple minutes." the man chirped, scurrying off to the back kitchens.

William moved to help Ronald into his chair, feeling it was his duty to do so.

"I don't have to order in German, do I?" Ronald asked after thanking William with a flushed nod and taking the offered seat, "Or…even worse…the menu isn't in German, right?"

"It has both German and English written on as well as Italian, so no need to worry" William replied, slipping into the seat across from Ronald, letting Soul flop down at his feet and fall asleep. "You don't need to worry about ordering, the waiters here speak and understand English. That one in particular knows me; I knew him from when I was in Germany."

Ronald let out a small puff of air in relief, "Good. because I understood absolutely nothing that man said to you!" he said, wondering if he should secretly try to learn German to impress William sometime.

"I come here on the odd day after work for a drink or so, when I need to unwind" Will looked around, seeing the waiter returning with menus. "It's a small business but very homely and comfortable, I find."

"Can I get you anything to drink?" the waiter asked, setting the menus down before the Dispatch workers.

"A gin for me, please." William said.

"Scotch…a small one." Ronald said, not wanting to be tipsy later when he was out helping Grell with collections.

"Yes sir" the waiter nodded, rushing off to get the drinks.

William turned to Ronald, curious as to whether or not he was of age. "A little adventurous?"

"It's just a little drink." He shrugged, "Eric made sure I knew my limit months ago since I had my eighteenth birthday coming up."

"I see... It's good to know what is and is not too much for you... I still have bad judgment on that part... I can go for a good couple of rounds without getting tipsy…" he began to look the menu over. "Anything in particular you are interested in trying?"

"I don't…" he trailed off, looking at the menu, "What would you suggest? I never tried any of this."

"Hm? I myself am going to have some wurst; we can share an order, if you wish" he said.

The blond gave a small nod, "Sounds like a plan." He folded his menu and leaned over the table, eyeing William's face, "You know, I think I like your hair better when it's not slicked back."

William raised an eyebrow, giving their orders to the returning waiter, momentarily watching him scurry off again. "It's more professional to keep my hair well-kept...It would be highly inappropriate to be walking around with a loose hair style in my position. Do I really look that different with it down?"

"Of course you do! You look more relaxed with it down. And who says you have to have it slicked back because of your job?" The blond teasingly reached forward and ruffled his hair a little, knowing that William had a comb to fix it.

"Hey..." William swatted his hand away, a playful pout on his face. Reaching out, he retaliated by flicking Ronald's adhoge.

Ronald gasped, his cheeks flushing as he pulled away, covering the stray lock of hair with his palm, "D-don't do that!"

William pulled away, blinking in surprise; he hadn't expected that reaction. "I'm sorry" he apologized.

"It...it's just…sensitive…" he explained, his face still flushed, "Sorry…I didn't mean to snap…"

"Do not apologize, it was my error to touch it without permission. Sorry, love" he leaned over the table, giving the blond a sweet kiss on the lips.

The waiter returned shortly after with their food, the smell flavorful and delicious. William cut a piece of the wurst sausage, holding the fork up to Ronald with a teasing look. "Want to try some?"

"I-it's not that I mind just…" he trailed off as the waiter returned, and soon found himself assaulted by the scent, his stomach grumbling audibly, and causing him to blush. He hadn't realized he was that hungry. He leaned forward, parting his lips as he took the small bite off the fork.

William watched him with a smile, reaching over to stroke his cheek in the process.

"Up to your standards?" he inquired contently, watching the blond's reaction in curiosity.

"It's food. It hardly ever disappoints me." he grinned after he swallowed, "Unless Eric or I cook it…you don't want to eat that!" he chuckled.

William chuckled. "Tis a shame... though I have tried Slingby's cooking before. Put me out of commission for a week." he stated. "If you wish, I could teach you to cook sometime... it's an essential skill to have, if you are living on your own." He took a bite himself, relishing in the flavor.

"Mine's no better than Eric's cooking…and Alan tried to teach me…many times. He just finally gave up, I guess. He doesn't like his kitchen on fire…doesn't need the added stress…" he trailed off, and grabbed his own fork, stabbing it into a slice of the wurst.

William noticed the slightly saddened tone in his voice, and frowned. Reaching over, he took hold of Ronald's free hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"You seem to know them very well" he said. "Alan is... stubborn with his disease. But he is a good man; always looking out for others. I fear someday that selflessness will be taken advantage of; but he has Eric to help him, and goodness knows what will happen to the unlucky soul who dares harm Humphries under his watch."

"Problem is Eric can't do anything about the Thorns…That really gets him upset." He sighed and shook his head, "But lets not talk about that. I much rather keep positive today."

"Yes, of course" William nodded in agreement, lifting the blond's hand up to his lips, pressing a gentle kiss against the knuckles. "Perhaps you will feel happier later tonight."

"Just what are we doing later tonight?" Ron asked, smirking as he leaned in over the table once more.

"That" William said simply with a cunning smile. "Is a surprise, my dear."

He could already imagine the look on Ronald's face, flying up in the sky high above the grounds, the blond's arms wrapped around his waist and head on his shoulder.

Yes, he could not wait for night to fall.

Ronald pouted, "What's the harm in letting me know, now?"

"And spoiling your present? Nope, you'll have to wait until tonight" he smirked, kissing the blond on the nose. "Pouting has no effect on me for bribery... Eric proved that several times."

"Eric pouting to anyone other than Alan? I don't believe it! But besides, I'm not Eric, now am I?" He let his eyes go large and innocent, making himself look even younger as he pouted up at his boyfriend.

William swallowed uncomfortably; damn, he pulled the gesture off without a hitch. Granted, Ronald was basically still a boy around 18 while Eric was a grown man in his thirties—well, in appearance.

"Stop that" he scolded lightly, though his tone was humorous. "Or I won't by you any ice cream~"

If possible, Ronald's eyes only grew bigger, pleadingly, "B-but Will!" He honestly hated being treated as a kid, but he also knew how to use his 'cute' boyish features to his advantage. He just didn't use it much as to not overdo it and loose its effects on people.

"Stop..." William snapped his eyes shut, trying to resist temptation. The boy was irresistibly cute. "Oh, fine! I'll get you some ice cream…but you will have to wait until later for your other presents~"

He smiled, paying for the meal and standing up.

Ronald dropped the look and grinned, "Better than nothing!" he teased, eating the last bite of wurst and chasing it with the last sip of his scotch before also standing up and lacing his finger's with Will's.

William lead him outside, leading him down to the park they had seen from the window. Soul bounded ahead, leaving the two Reapers to themselves for a few moments.

The older man sighed gently, watching as small snowflakes danced from the sky, landing in soft clumps in Ronald's hair. "You look like a Sugar Plum Fairy" he teased.

"I…what?" Ronald asked, pulling William's scarf around himself tighter, simply to sneak a sniff of the other man's scent.

"Never mind." William glanced around the park, spotting an archway a couple of feet away. Yet it was the sight of a small green branching plant sprouting from the underside that made him grin: mistletoe.

Dragging Ronald over, he moved to face the blond, holding both his hands. "You know what that is?" he nodded up towards the plant.

Ronald glanced up and frowned, "A plant?"

"Mistletoe." William corrected lightly, pulling his lover in for a deep, heated kiss.

Ronald flushed deeply, but smiled against William's lips, wrapping his arms up around his neck and standing on his toes to press into the liplock.

Pulling Roland tightly against his chest, he deepened the kiss, tongue playfully poking at the blond's lips.

His hands roamed up and down the blond's sides, dancing over the slight frame and gentle build. He felt, for a moment, ancient compared to the boy—the age difference between them was almost staggering.

Here he was, born in the 1600's, and then Ronald, not even over 30 years of age. But standing there, holding the blond in his arms, sealing their love, made him feel younger than ever before.

"You are making me grow soft, Knox" he murmured, pulling away to gaze heatedly into the soft green eyes.

Ron winked and brought a finger up to his kiss-swollen lips as he looked up at William, "That can be our secret. No need for the whole dispatch to know you've gone soft. You may get more overtime that way." He grinned before popping back up onto his toes to steal another kiss.

"Clever boy. You learn well" William smirked, gently leading Ronald into a sweet but short French kiss. "Now, no need to be so dirty; I'm not going anywhere love."

-x-

The rest of the day passed as normal, William going his separate way to his office upon arrival back at the Dispatch. It was better, he figured, to avoid suspicion and just make it seem like they had been heading out for lunch at—coincidently—the same time.

Finishing up his last report for the day, William set his pen to the side, rubbing wearily at his temples. "Honestly..." he grumbled, glaring half-heartedly at the form he had just spent an hour correcting - the newbie had absolutely no idea what he was doing, scribbling all over the paper like some dimwitted fool. Hopefully the night would be better.

"Hn... Still trying to impress, I see?"

He froze, hand slowly falling away from his forehead at the unpleasantly familiar German-accented voice. Hans leaned rigidly against the door frame to his office, hands crossed over his chest, a knowing smirk plaster upon his face.

That look unnerved the dark-haired Reaper. It made his skin crawl with anticipation and a cold sweat chill his body. Something was up, and whatever it was, no good would come out of it; especially since Hans was involved. "What do you want? Leave, if you are just going to stand there and mock me like a right fool." William growled.

Hans frowned, sauntering over to the desk in distaste. Slamming his hand on the surface, he leaned in close to the younger Reaper's face. "Watch your language, boy" he snarled quietly. "Do not forget who you are talking to..."

William's glare, if possible, hardened. "How could I? After the humiliation you brought upon me, it's rather hard to forget..."

"Then you should know your place... I have not forgotten about our—_your_— failure..." he leaned in further, lips gently brushing against his ear. "You are mine, and _only_ mine..."

The dark-haired Reaper shuddered. "Get of my office!" he hissed, a red flush tinting his cheeks.

Hans shrugged, pulling away from the flustered Reaper, gliding over to the door without a care. "Oh" he paused, throwing a backwards smirk. "I would keep an eye on your little blond 'mouse'... He is very _interesting_..."

William snarled, "You stay away from him!" he snapped, watching the man's retreating form disappear down the hallway.


	10. A Birthday to Remember

**Blood Relations **

**Chapter 10**

Ronald bent over his desk, scratching out mistakes on his last report for the day and correcting them, when a hand shot out and fingers ran through his hair, both combing it back and successfully startling the blond.

Alan smiled, "Working late…on your birthday?" he asked, a small tease in his voice. Most of the dispatch had left, and Alan had seen only one cubicle occupied, knowing it was his son, he abandoned his path for the lift to go see the boy he hadn't spotted all day.

"Uhg, mum! I like it this way!" Ronald said, dropping his pen and reaching up to fix his hair, "And I'm just finishing up."

"Not with a report like that, you aren't!" Alan said, grabbing the messy paper from the desk and looking at it, "Honestly, you are as bad as your father…if you mess up like that, redo the entire page fresh. I'm sure Spears would appreciate it. I'm surprised he hasn't said anything about it to you…" he turned away and opened a drawer to Ronald's filing cabinet and fingered through it for a blank copy of the report type so that Ronald could redo it, "Birthday or not, there is no excuse for a messy report."

Ronald blushed, "It's not that messy, though!"

"It's unprofessional. Here!" he pulled out a blank form and set it down on the desk, "Now redo it and we can go celebrate your birthday."

"Uhm…about that…" Ronald fiddled with his fountain pen, looking down at the blank form, "I sort of…have plans tonight."

"Plans? What kind of plans?"

"_Secret_ birthday plans." He said, glancing up to see the look of disappointment on his mother's face, "Sorry…"

Alan sighed and shook his head, "Eric and I knew this was coming…You are an adult now, after all."

"We can do something this weekend." the blond promised and Alan smiled, kissing the top of his head.

"I'll deal with Eric on this change of plans…Don't be coming home too late…and try to be responsible."

"I will." Ronald smiled as he watched Alan turn to leave.

"And redo that report properly before you leave!"

Adlar strode down the hallway, taking in the sights of the office. It was so different yet similar to his own back in Holland; white walls and single cubicles, but a different layout and work ethnics.

Humming a small tune under his breath, he paused as he caught sight of Hans storming down the hall, an irritated expression gracing his face. A frown etched his mouth, brows furrowing in concern—he could practically smell something gone amiss. Lately, the brunet had been on edge, snappy and down right rude.

But the elder put up with it, seeing no reason to feed an already burning fire. Still, the tension in the atmosphere between the German Supervisor and Spears was unnerving.

Shaking his head, he pushed the thoughts from his mind; he would worry about them on a later occasion. For now, he would keep to himself, observing from the sideline as a good Dutch Reaper should, then take action when the timing was right.

It was the same method that got him though decades of wars against demons.

Coming into the main office, he noticed the presence of a single Reaper still sitting at one of the cubicles. As he approached, a familiar head of blond hair came into view and a smile broke out on his face.

Ronald was a fine child, a very pleasant boy to converse with and hang around. He knew there was something between him and Spears, but whatever it was lay to none of his concerns; it was not his business, after all.

Coming up beside the desk, he chirped a greeting. "Still working late?"

"Mmhm…" Ronald hummed, finishing the line he was working on before looking up and greeting the elder reaper with a smile, "But not for much longer. I only have this last report before I'm free of this stuffy old office." He tilted his head, "Mind if I ask why you are here at such an hour?"

"Hm? Oh, nothing important. Just taking a stroll around the Dispatch. It is really quite different from my own back in Amsterdam."

He glanced over down the hall, noting a light coming from one of the offices.

"Ah, it seems Mr. Spears is staying late as well. You seem very close to him."

Ronald blushed, "Is it that obvious?" he glanced at William's office door before looking back up at the higher reaper.

Adlar smiled. "When you are as old as I am, you tend to notice things faster. He means a lot to you, doesn't he?"

At that moment, William stepped out of his office, leaning against the door frame with a sigh. His face was red at the cheeks, still fuming slightly from earlier.

Ronald nodded and was about to respond when movement caught his eye and he spotted William, "Will..? Are you okay?" he asked. The look on his boyfriend's face worried him, and he stood up, hurrying over to him. Had Hans done or said something?

William exhaled sharply, running a hand down his face. He was exhausted, thoroughly put off by the struggles going on inside his mind. On one hand, he wished dearly to return the favor to Hans and make him pay the price for his uncouth humiliation. Yet the more rational side of his brain reminded him of what a bad idea that was.

Hearing Ronald voice brought him back to the Realm, eyes swivelling to the side to see the blond rushing towards him. Without a single word, he whirled around, yanking the blond into a tight, securing hug. His face buried in the crook of his lover's neck, fingers curling around the black blazer shakily.

"W-Will…" Ronald put his arms around him, holding him tight, "Did…something happen? The man's desperation to hold him was alarming. It wasn't the same as it had been during lunch…it wasn't a soft hold with flirty whispers…William was…trembling slightly.

Again, William did not speak, shivering slightly from mere release of stress. He sighed faintly, nuzzling insecurely into Ronald's shoulder. Silently telling him he'd explaine later.

"Are you alright?" Adlar asked in concern, mingling his way over to the pair.

Ronald looked back at Aldar with a worried expression and then pulled away slightly, reaching up to tilt William's face to look at him, "I'm here…I'm not going anywhere, it's okay…" he whispered.

William exhaled softly, nuzzling Ronald whist pressing a smooth kiss to his lips." I know...I know..." he whispered, voice shaky and uneven. Yet the load on his chest lifted, leaving him refreshed and comforted. He just wanted to hold Ronald for a few more moments, regardless of Adlar's presence.

Ronald stayed quiet for a few moments before pulling back once more and looking up at him, "Are you finished working?" he asked, hoping that getting out of the office would be good for the man.

William nodded, looking back at his office.

"Just finished a few minutes ago. How about you?"

"Just one more to do…" he grumbled, remembering how it'd be long finished if Alan hadn't made him redo it.

"I'll help you" William offered. "Saves less for overtime. Then we can leave; we have a few minutes to spare so why not?"

"It won't take long. I already did it once, but it was a mess so I'm redoing it…" Ron blushed, "I only have part of one page left." He smiled; trying to cheer Will up before hurrying back to his desk to finish quickly.

William followed him, leaning over his hunched lover to observe the paperwork. It wasn't too bad, if not a little messy -but it passed, by his standards.

No matter who each Reaper was, they were all expected to complete their paperwork on time, no exceptions.

"Annnnnd…done!" He said, scrolling his signature across the bottom of the page and slipping it onto the stack of finished papers before tilting back in his seat to grin at William, "_Now_ will you tell me where you are taking me tonight?"

"Somewhere very special." William smiled, leaning over to press a kiss on the blond's forehead. "Oh, before I forget..." A smirk drew across his lips, as Ronald's thick-rimmed glasses were removed and a strip of dark blue cloth was pulled from his blazer pocket. Wrapping it around the boy's head, he tied it gently, covering his eyes. "That will do" he stated, lifting Ronald out of the chair and carrying him out down the hall.

"Wh-Whaa?" Ronald gasped, grabbing onto William's shoulders as he was picked up, "Is the blindfold really needed?" His mind raced, but he had no idea on what he could even guess that they were doing that evening.

"Bear with it for just a little while longer, love" William murmured, cradling the blond against his chest.

The hallways had long since been abandoned, all Reapers gone home for the day aside from the three clambering down the stairwell. Soul trotted alongside her master, a lantern clenched between her teeth.

"I shall take my own from here" Adlar spoke up after a moment of silence. "Good evening to you gentleman."

William waited until the man's footsteps had disappeared down the hall, turning in the opposite direction to the front entrance. Summoning a portal, he stepped through, holding tightly to his lover and his dog's leash.

"I hope you do not fear heights..." he said, stepping out into the darkened countryside of England, the only light emitting from Soul's lantern.

"Not at all. I just fear the impact after falling." He teased, "Seriously, I'm fine with them…why?" he asked, doubting that they'd be spending the evening up in a treehouse.

"Good. Because tonight, we are up with the heavens..." William replied, coming up to the familiar farm lying isolated on the outskirts of London after a short car ride.

The sound of horses and beating wings grew near, many of the majestic animals coming within sight. Horses of all sizes—tall, short, zebra, even mules—frolicked in the fields, soared in the skies, even daring to come closer to the strange duo approaching there safe keep.

A lone man stood by the gates of the ranch, his hair grizzled and worn with age. Nodding toward William, he permitted entrance, leading the stoic Reaper to the back fields.

"Pick on' out fer ya, a real beauty. She's good fer going fast, durable, and exhibits lots of personality..." the werewolf chuckled.

"Will..?" Ronald asked, still blinded by the cloth replacing his glasses, "I hear…horses and birds? Where are we? Can't I look?"

"'er she is!"

"Ronald, come take a look" William said, untying the blond's blindfold, slipping on his glasses in the process.

Standing before them, tethered to a hitching post, was a glorious white mare. Her man hung low, rippling like river water, brushed to one side of her head and neck. Large white wings were tucked neatly at her sides, the feathers fluttering in nervousness as the men approached. She tapped her hoof on the ground, making a soft whinny of uncertainty.

"Ya might wanna ler 'er sniff ya before ya ride 'er..."

Ronald was frozen in his place, eyes wide with an amazed, child-like excitement, "A pegasus?" He hurried on ahead of William, though slowly and cautiously as to not startle the majestic creature. Smiling, he held up a hand to the animal's nose, letting it get to know him before stroking her white fur. He loved horses, and had spent a lot of time around them, but he'd never gotten to see a winged horse in person. They were a rare beauty, and rarely seen outside of Greece.

"Yer boyfrien' 'ere is borrowin' her tonight... Wants ta take ya ridin' with 'im..." the rancher gestured to William, retreating into the barn for a saddle and reins.

The dark-haired Reaper smiled, striding over to the blond, "Happy Birthday" he said softly, wrapping his arms around Ronald's middle, kissing him gently.

Grinning, Ronald turned around and hugged his lover tight, "We get to ride her? This is the best, Will!" he pulled him into a shameless kiss, "How'd you think of something so perfect?"

William smiled through the kiss, holding his lover close, "Well... you always did say you wanted to see Germany..." he said simply, watching as their horse was saddled up.

He lifted Ronald up onto the horse, climbing up in front of his, grasping the reins. "I figured I would give you a first class view."

"Germany?" he gasped. They were leaving not just London; but _England_? This was quite honestly the best gift he'd ever been given by far. Grinning, he slipped his arms around William securely, readying himself for the ride, "So much better than ice cream." He teased.

"Ja" William laughed, urging the horse onward.

Galloping across the field, she gained speed before taking off into the sky. Clouds flew past, opening up to a starry night sky high above the ground.

As they gained altitude, Ronald's arms tightened around William, adjusting for the incline until they leveled back out and he could relax without falling off. The moon was bright, still in her gibbous phase, though waxing down from her full state a few nights earlier. Stars glittered in the night sky and the wind whipped his hair back out of his face as they flew, the pegasus' wings beating rhythmically on either side of him. The world far below looking so small…

The experience was so peaceful, humbling, and quite romantic as the two lovers sped across the sky on the great winged horse.

William smiled slightly, feeling Ronald press lightly against his back. Heading east, the horse soared over farmland and forests, cities and towns, lakes and the ocean. They took the long way around, so that Ronald would be able to see more. The clouds slowly cleared away to reveal a scenic view below, the landscape of Switzerland coming into view.

It was breathtaking; the Alps capped with snow, beautiful rugged forests of pine stretching for miles, and little houses perched on the rock face.

"I haven't seen this in so long..." the dark haired Reaper murmured in amazement, awestruck by the sheer beauty the face of Nature held.

Beckoning the Reapers by her welcoming hand, she painted an image more breathtaking than any piece of art the world could hold. Yes, this is what they came for - this image drawn by none other than Mother Nature herself.

There was nothing to distract them; the stars and moon their only light and the horse as a guide across the heavens.

Truly, a romantic evening.

"Look" William finally said, point down to the Earth below. "There it is... my homeland..."

Awestruck, Ronald had been watching the world pass by in silence, letting everything soak in. When William pointed out Germany, he looked down, already spotting a few cultural differences, even at such a height. "Can we land?" he asked after another moment of silence, eyes turning up to look at the moonlit face of his lover, "I want to see it as you remember it, even if times have changed."

William blinked in surprise, but nodded and smiled at his star struck lover. "Alright. But hold onto me" he stated, jostling the reins. "Landing one of these creatures is a rather pain in the rear..."

The world grew closer as the horse descended from the sky, gliding over the tips of a forest like a white ghost. Her wings opened up to catch the drift, slowly bringing them to the snowy grounds of a winter pine forest.

Glancing around, William made a noise of thought. "Hm... This is rather...familiar..." he mused, scanning the surrounding bio-dome with interest.

"Well, shouldn't it be? You lived here once." He said with a smile, kissing William's cheek before hopping off the horse, petting her fondly in thanks for the ride before looking around and spotting the nearby town in the distance.

"Very true, however..." he paused for a moment. "What I mean is, it is more familiar than it ought to be..."

He vaguely remembered coming to this forest as a boy, wandering about the trees and playing hide n' seek with his brother.

Yet, there was also a forbidding sensation nagging at the back of his mind. Taking Ronald's hand and the horses reins, he lead them out of the forest onto a country road.

"It's very rural here... I grew up in this exact area..." he pointed out. "It's also were I died..."

"So…this was your home-town?" he asked, looking up at him, and then turning towards the line of buildings they were walking towards. He didn't know what to think. He had never been human, so he didn't know if being in such a place was a pleasant experience or not.

"Mhm" William nodded. "More or less. My family actually lived on the outskirts, in a small farmhouse a couple of miles away. But everyday, my mother sent my brother and I out to school, located in town."

He watched as the lights grew closer, the sound of folk music filling the air.

"Do you think your brother might've had kids and you have some of his decedents here?" Ron asked curiously, then he paused, "It doesn't…bother you being here, does it?"

"No, no no... Just... It's a lot of old memories.." he said whimsically. "When you visit the place you lived in as a human, the memories can sometimes be overwhelming... but no, I am fine. I have been here countless times before in the past. I have just become so busy in London, it's been a good couple of years since my last visit."

He smiled, pulling Ronald close,"As for my brother, no. He... died the same day I did."

"Oh…I'm sorry…" Ron said, still feeling awkward, "What…had it been like to have a brother? I had kinda always wanted one…"

"It was interesting, if you could put it that way" the supervisor shrugged. "Richard and I were twins, you see. I was always considered the shyer, quieter one, while he was loud, bold and outright daring. He was my idol, growing up - we were inseparable."

"You're lucky…it's lonely having no siblings…no one to play with as a kid…You had someone to play with all the time. I only had an annoying babysitter who had no appreciation for fun…or pranks."

William chuckled. "Ah, I pity the nanny that watched over you as a child!" he teased.

He paused when they passed a graveyard, blinking at it owlishly.

"I didn't like her…and when I was really young I never wanted her to be around at all because when she showed up it meant my mother was leaving…" he trailed off, looking at the graveyard. He reached out, taking Will's hand, "Let's go see Richard."

"It's not just Richard in there..." William murmured softly, moving almost fearfully towards the graveyard. He had hoped to forget the memories associated with this place, especially this one. The final reason he left Germany for good.

"…Who? Your parents?" he asked, following him.

"...No..." Walking forwards, he swallowed nervously, hands shaking nervously. Before him, a grave stood, the stone withered and worn with time.

'_April Avalon Spears - Aged 12 weeks. Dearly missed and forever loved. _'

He stared down at the grave, eyes dull and lifeless.

Ronald frowned, looking at the stone, "Who's that..? A sister?"

"...My daughter..." William murmured, running his hand over the top of the stone. "... I never fully told you what Hans did to me...But this was the final point. After this, I left. I let you in on something...I lured that other Reaper into finding Hans and I—I wanted to escape, to leave Germany and everything behind. But Hans had high power; there was nothing I could do to escape him. Until I met a British representative visiting the Dispatch. He was... odd, to say the least. But I think he understood that I was in need. I told him to meet me by the classroom at 7 PM sharp. He did... and saw Hans violating me. Just as I had predicted..."

Ron fell silent, his eyes wide, "I…Will…" he didn't know what to say, what to do, as he watched the older reaper silently mourn his own daughter…and if she had been Hans' daughter… "What…happened to her?"

William took a deep breath. "S-She was very sick..." he said. "I had her a couple of years after I joined the academy. Hans was thrilled—though he only cared about the prospect that I could breed and create more purebloods rather than the fact that he was going to be a father. I was scared, completely terrified of the idea. As the months dragged on, I had to hide my condition from my fellow classmates, even going as far as not attending class at all and saying I was sick. I eventually had Hans give me my papers and assignment when it became apparent that I could no longer cover up the physical fact that I was pregnant. Worst decision I ever made, but I had no choice. In the end, it gave him the opportunity to take advantage of me...

"She was born on April fourth, six pounds and premature by two weeks. Even at birth, she was weaker and more fragile than a normal baby. Being young and foolish, I had no idea how to take care of myself during my pregnancy… I often stressed myself out and ate very little. S-She was the sweetest little thing though...very quiet, curious, but extremely affectionate. She loved to cuddle into the crook of my shoulder whenever I was doing homework or papers for class. I eventually learned how to write with one hand while balancing her in the other. Everything seemed to even out at first... But then it got worse.

"Slowly, she grew sick and weaker, eating less and crying all night. I was desperate and I had no idea how to help her. Hans did not care; it was 'my duty to care for her'. I was not much younger than you. I couldn't do it on my own, and one day...she had turned oddly quiet. I held her in my arms, rocking her upon my bed. She looked at me suddenly, and then everything went still. T-The light from her eyes...died...she..." He couldn't finish, hiding his face in his hand, shoulders shaking.

Silently, Ronald took out a folded scrap of paper he had in his pocket—nothing important, he had just slipped it in his pocket for a lack of a better place at the time a few weeks previous. It was blank. Trying to smooth it out the best he could, he stepped forward and knelt by the grave, starting to fold and twist the paper. He hadn't done such a thing in a long time, so it wasn't the best, but when finished, he set the paper rose at her grave.

William allowed himself to cry silently, trembling like a leaf in the wind. The pain that had been encased all these years was let out—never before had he taken the time and opportunity to uncover as much of his past as he did with Ronald.

Trying to pull himself together, he wiped hastily at his eyes, rather embarrassed at his meltdown. Watching as his lover placed a self-crafted rose on the base of the grave, he wordlessly wrapped his arms around the blond's torso, burying his face into his shoulder.

"My apologies" he murmured. "I am normally better composed than this... I don't know what came over me..."

"She's your baby…" he said, looking down at the rose nestled in the snow, "I may be young…but I know how much my parents love and wish to protect…" he sighed and looked up at William, "I was born weak, too…and though I managed to grow stronger, Mum and Dad told me so many times how they almost lost me…and they cried each time."

William silently held Ronald tighter, exhaling sharply though his nose. He had no idea that Ronald had almost gone the same way as his daughter - yet he was here, strong and alive.

There was no jealousy, or anger that the blond had survived while William's own kin had fallen to a terrible fate. Just pure, bliss relief—relief that the one he loved was alive and well.

He couldn't ask for more.

"Come..." he said, guiding Ronald out of the graveyard. "Let us celebrate your birthday on a happier note... I still need to give you your last present, my love..."

"Present..? But… the pegasus ride across Europe…" he said, a little stunned, "You've already spoiled me today!" he adjusted his bright orange scarf tighter around himself before slipping his arm in Will's, "What more could you possibly have planned?"

William's smiled never faltered, a cunning glint in his eyes.

"Oh, I think you'll like this last one... and for once, we are not in the office so I have no need for prudence."

He lead the blond over to a small thicket, sheltered by trees and bushes.

Turning around, he held the blond in his arms.

"Ronald... my last gift to you is myself. You may do whatever you wish with me... just for tonight. I am yours to control, my love."

"Yourself? Y—" Ron's eyes widened in realization, "You mean we could…here? In the snow?" he fumbled with his words, cheeks heating a bright red easy to see in the moonlight.

William's smile deepened in the moonlight.

"Only if you wish to do so, my dear" he murmured, drawing a heated kissed onto the blond's collarbone.

Ronald drew in his breath until it caught in his throat and a small moan escaped. He slid his hands up along Will's coat, hooking them around the back of his neck, "I've never done this…" he whispered.

"Shhhh... Don't worry... I can help you" he whispered, nibbling seductively at a bare patch of skin. "I am rather...experienced, love…"

The blond bit his lip and nodded, taking a deep breath to try and settle the fluttering that had flared up in his gut. He was nervous…and excited. Making love for the first time…and in such a romantic setting…with the man he had fallen for (Though it felt a little awkward as the man had just broken down and spilled his guts out moments before)… He didn't know how to handle all his emotions that were mixing within him. "William!" he squeaked out, pressing into him and capturing his lips.

William chuckled softly, kissing Ronald once, twice, and then fiercely a third time. Running his hands up the blond's side, he traced the slender frame beneath his finger tips.

"My dear Ronald~" he murmured, "meine süße Haselmaus..."

"I can't understand…" He muttered breathlessly as his lips searched out the skin of William's neck until his coat and scarf got in the way, and kisses were trailed back up his neck, under his jaw, and finally back to his lips.

William moaned wantonly, stretching out his neck to expose more skin to the blond. His cheeks flushed a light tint of red, heart hammering in his chest. This wasn't like before, when Hans was pleasuring him; the fear, anxiety and panic evaporated into a combination of pure bliss, compassion and fiery lust.

"R-Ronald..." he breathed, swallowing thickly. Leaning down, he attacked his lover's lips with harsh kisses, a monster awakening inside of him. It arose from sleep, raising its head with a mighty roar. His chest heaved, the pleasure and heat spiking to a high level.

Yet he forced himself to calm, remembering vaguely that this was Ronald's very first time bedding another, and in the process, experiencing the first intimate connection between himself and William as lovers.

Falling back against the snow, he panted lightly, clothes and hair ruffled, gazing up lustily at the blond. The red flush had spread across his face, giving him a feverish composure.

Ronald trembled from nerves, not from the cold, no; he could hardly feel the cold of the snow and bitter air around them as his skin started to heat. "Ahh—W-Will…" Snow settled in his wind-blown hair, and his green eyes glistened with raw emotion, his own hands moving along William's body. His heart beat so hard against his ribs, he was sure William could hear it.

William purred like a kitten, leaning back as Ronald's hands lavished his body. Reaching up, he fumbled with the buttons to the blond's shirt, pulling them loose.

The blond shivered as his clothes were pushed from his shoulders, exposing his torso to the winter air. Once his coat was lain down on the snow, he rolled them over so he was on the bottom, biting his lips as he nervously fumbled with William's buttons, exposing his soft skin in turn. He paused, gazing at his lover's toned body once more, and he slowly reached up and ran his fingers over his abs…such a beautiful man…beautiful and strong…

William pulled the remaining clothes free from his lover's body, gazing down at the sleek form lustfully. "My sweet..." he purred. Kissing down his front, he nuzzled the nervous boy reassuringly, holding him close. Then he paused, a frown casing his lips.

"Ronald..." he breathed, lowering his head onto the blond's shoulder. "C-Can I ask you a favor, just this time? Help me forget... I want to forget everything... Everything he did... Please..."

Ronald rested his hands on Will's hips and turned his head to press a kiss to his temple, "This isn't just my first time…this is _our_ first time, Will… Us, together…not him…that bastard…he can't have you anymore…" he smiled, "I'll be a greedy little brat when it comes to you. I want you to forget him…use me to do that…I want you to be happy, William."

William smiled, kissing Ronald's lip with a sweet and tender attitude. He had never felt so loved, so secure in his life. Here, lying in the frozen outlands of Germany, wrapped in the arms of his lover. "Thank you love...Forgive me... I have only bottomed before... This is very new to me..." he blushed in embarrassment.

Cries and moans filled the open skies, the soft hush of movement against the snowy grounds. Light flakes began to fall from the sky, like angel feathers, soft and fluffy against sweaty bare skin.

William arched his back, screaming out his lover's name to the heavens about. By Scythe, this was incredible, not at all like his time with Hans. Even then, the German Reaper slipped his mind, leaving only thought and feeling of Ronald.

Ronald Knox, the cocky little Dormouse upon whom his heart did beat for.

The blond clung to the body above him and within him, gasping and moaning, tears gathering in the corners of his eyes as he was brought to a state of mind he never experienced before. The world around them had faded completely, there was only pleasure, skin on skin, gasps and labored breath, and William…his William bringing him to a state of bliss, and pushing him passed his limit.

The climax for each came fast and fierce.

Screaming his throat raw, William arched back, releasing in blissful relief. Heat flared up in his gut, spreading through his veins like fire. The sensation made him shudder, collapsing on top of Ronald with a weary groan.

Catching his breath in the bask of afterglow, he turned his mouth slightly to kiss away the tears dripping down Ronald's face. "That was... amazing" he breathed. "Thank you Ronald..."

"W-Will…" Ronald choked out, surprised at the fact that he had been brought to tears—but tears of joy—at becoming one with the man he loved. He shivered and hugged him as snow settled and melted upon their heated skin, "Will, I love you…" his eyes opened and gazed up at William's.

"Ich liebe dich auch, Ronald" William cooed, kissing him on the forehead.

Guilt then began to settle within Ron…He was lying to the man he loved…pretending he wasn't a pureblood…he couldn't do that, not any more… "William…There is something I should tell you…"

Will frowned at the sullen tone in the blond's voice. "What is it?" he asked.

Ron took a deep breath to gather himself, keeping eye-contact, "I'm a pur—" He was interrupted by a loud, distressed whine of a horse. Ron sat up, glancing over the bushes and gasping, "Will! A demon!"

The pegasus was tethered to a tree branch, her wings beating as she reared up on her hind legs, kicking a shadowy monster with glowing red eyes that snarled and slashed at her.

William's eyes widened, a curse forming under his breath. Pulling out from Ronald, he dashed off, summoning his scythe; he hadn't bothered with his clothes.

Needless to say, the display stunned the demon enough for William to land a good hit on it.

Ronald stumbled, summoning his own scythe; the simple training one he had been using, unable to modify it until after he became a full-fledged reaper, no longer in need of a mentor on the field. His ankles were tangled within his pants still, having not had them removed completely, and he nearly fell. Cursing, he threw his scythe at the demon, letting it be used as a boomerang and pulling his pants up quickly as he waited for it to come back. It managed to slice a gash on the demon's shoulder on it's way back to him and he caught it.

William slashed and hacked with all his might, expertly cutting the demon to ribbons with his scythe. It was rather weak, a lesser being of its kind. One that fed on animal souls rather than human ones.

Wiping his brow, he turned to examine the horse, frowning at the gash on her hindquarters.

"She okay?" Ronald gasped, reaching them and moving to calm the horse down, "Shh, shh, it's okay, girl, it's gone…" he stroked her nose.

"I believe so... this wound isn't as bad as it looks" William noted, shivering slightly from the cold. "It's already healing... It's very hard to kill pegasus, even for a full grown demon."

"Good…she's too pretty to be marred by that thing…" he smiled at the calming mare, starting to feel the cold once more now that the heat of their passion was fading. "Can…we go warm up again soon? He asked, rubbing his bare arms and looking at Wiliam, blushing bright.

William nodded, glancing at the shivering blond only to realize that he himself was standing stark naked. "O-Oh dear me..." he blushed redder than Grell's hair.

Once the pegasus was calm again, Ron rushed back into the brush to grab their clothes, tossing William his and pulling his own on, though he remained shivering.

William dressed quickly, wandering over to wrap the blond in a tight hug.

"Let's head to town" he murmured. "We can warm up there..."

Ronald nodded and leaned into his lover's embrace.

William lifted his lover onto the healed horse, climbing up in front of him before riding them off into town.


	11. Bitter Cold

**Blood Relations **

**Chapter 11**

Alan sighed, he and Eric had waited up for their son, though they had tried not to, to give the boy his space, but it was three in the morning, and he hadn't gotten home yet. He leaned against Eric, pretending to be reading over some work files, "How much you want to bet he'll try sneaking in his bedroom window and pretend he got home at midnight?"

"Most likely" Eric grunted. "Littl' bugger been doin' tha' a lot lately..." Heaving himself off the couch with a groan, the Scottish Reaper looked pointedly at the stair. "One way t' find out..."

Alan nodded and stood up with his lover, heading for the stairs, "Who do you think he was with?" He asked as they mounted, "He'd only told me he had plans…and he's an adult now, so I didn't wish to press the issue."

"Better have been just a couple of friends... I'll murder the ass that tries to have a go at my baby" Eric growled, reaching the door to Ronald's room, twisting the knob.

Chuckling, Alan patted his shoulder, "I'm sure he'd give them hell if they tried…"

Ronald and William had gotten back to London late. They had found a pub that had been open late, and had spent a few hours there, having a few drinks and warming up, only leaving when the drunken patrons had started bothering them too much. There had been one German girl hanging all over William, and Ronald could only guess that the slurred German coming from her lips were requests that he take her to an inn…which made his blood boil so much he'd hardly noticed the rather large German man who had taken a fancy to him until William broke down and threw a good hard punch right under the man's jaw, grabbed Ron's wrist, and hurried them out to fly home, the cold air sobering them once more.

Ronald parted from his lover with reluctance, but finally, they broke their kiss and headed their separate ways. Ron's curfew was at midnight, and he'd been shocked to find that it had been nearly three, so sneaking in would have to do…again. He climbed up to his window and slid it open, quietly slipping into his room when the door opened; his leg still halfway out the window. He froze, looking at his parents in the doorway of his room, "I…uh…lost track of time?"

"Damn righ' ya have" Eric growled, not liking where any of this was heading.

He already had a bad feeling about Ronald's late night sneaking, and could no longer hold back the resistance to keep his nose out of his son's personal business. It was time to find out exactly what the blond had been doing late at night, and he wasn't referring to the stack of magazines hidden under the floorboards—that had been both their faults and Alan had nearly murdered him for giving their son those.

"Alrigh', come clean. Who the 'ell have ya been seeing, boy?" the question was neither friendly nor teasing, but rough and demanding.

Ronald sighed and finished slipping into his room, closing his window to keep the snow out before speaking, "Come on, Father, it was my birthday. I should get the benefit of the doubt this once, right?"

"Not when we think these people are a bad influence on you. You have been sneaking out, late for curfew, and doing Rhea knows what since you passed your exam." Alan interjected, crossing his arms.

"An' ya haven't been listening at all! Come on, Ronald Oliver Knox! We had this talk three weeks ago!" Eric snapped, his left eye twitching. Being up late after a twelve hour shift had done little good for him, it seemed. "I know yer with someone... Who th' hell are they?"

"I have too been listening! I'm just also growing up, now. So what if you think I'm making mistakes? _Let me learn that on my own_!" Ronald snapped, removing his coat and scarf, and almost his shirt before remembering the rather dark love bite William had left on his collarbone. Blushing, he left the shirt on and kicked off his shoes.

Unfortunately, Eric saw the edge of the mark through the shirt. Eyebrows furrowing, he strode over, grabbing Ronald by the shoulder and yanking his shirt open, sending buttons flying and bouncing across the floor. Staring at the mark, the man seethed, a deadly fire burning in his eyes. "Wha' the 'ell is this?" he demanded.

"D-DAD!" Ronald gasped, scrambling to close his shirt, his face on fire as it practically glowed with embarrassment, "It's none of your business! You can't just go around ruining my shirts!"

Alan's eyes were wide, "Is…is that a..?" A hickie. Someone had marred his baby boy's soft skin with a love bite. Stepping forward, he reached out and touched the tender mark, his eyes narrowing, "Ronald…who did this to you? Was it that Kayla from the front desk?" he demanded. It hadn't escaped his notice that the woman had her eyes glued to Ronald ever since Ronald had started working there, and the woman had quite the reputation.

"Wh-? No!"

"Susan from General Affairs? Emily from Collections? Or maybe tha' ruddy bloke who's tryin' ta grab yer ass walkin' down the corridor?" Eric snarled, his grip tightening on the blond. "Who the 'ell are ya playin' hookey with, boy?"

"No! Wait…Someone's been trying to grab my butt in the hall? Who?" Ron shook his head, "No, doesn't matter…" he hit his father's hands off his shirt and took a step back, "It's none of your business who I spend my free time with."

"I believe it is! We're your parents!" Eric all but shouted, before noticing something sticking out of Ronald's coat pocket. "Wha' is this now?"

Reaching over, he pulled out a black glove with the name "William T. Spears" written on the cuff. His glare turned cold, the pieces coming together in his head.

"What? That's my glove…" he trailed off, spotting the name on the tag. Crap. Their gloves must have gotten switched in their hurry to re-cloth themselves… Why did William have his name on the tag? "…I must have grabbed the wrong one earlier…" he muttered to himself.

"Care to explain this?" Eric hissed through gritted teeth, his eyes narrowed dangerously. "Don't even bother lying... I can smell the semen comin' from 'ere!"

"I…I dropped my glove and just…I must have grabbed his by mistake…" He stuttered, but it wasn't really a lie.

"Oh? And Mister Spears happened to have just dropped his in the same spot?"

"We…ran into each other…" There, that wasn't a lie…if you looked at the situation in a twisted sort of way…

"Ronald Oliver Knox" Eric growled. "Yer a shitty liar an' ya know it. Yer mother can see righ' through ya, so don't even try!"

Ronald snatched the glove back, "It's just a mix-up! Rhea! Stop being so damn controlling! You are over-reacting!" he yelled.

"Ronald…"

"No! Stop! Just…stop! I'm an adult now! Other reapers my age don't have curfews or anything like this!"

"Don' talk to us like tha'!" Eric roared, face turning a shade of red. Things were beginning to look ugly, and the blond had had just about enough of the bullshit.

"I'll stop when you stop trying to control my life!" Ronald screamed.

"Ronald! Y—" Alan paused, hearing a knock on the door. Giving the two blonds a glance, he turned to answer the door, trying to tune out the yelling as he opened the door, confused as to who'd be calling at such a late hour. Maybe a neighbor asking them to quiet down? Most likely. "I'm so sorry about the—Mister Spears?"

William had cursed under his breath as he trekked past the houses lining 4th Street. His footsteps made amble clicks in the otherwise dead silence of night, the light from the moon and streetlamps his only guide. He had walked about halfway home prior to realizing the glove fitting his right hand was too small. In a flash, he remembered clothes getting mixed up between him and Ronald during their fray and came to the embarrassing conclusion that he had somehow misplaced gloves with his lover.

Climbing the front steps to what he assumed was the blond's house, he knocked on the door, desperately thinking of a way to explain his presence to his lover so soon after parting without revealing the foolish context of the situation.

His thoughts were immediately interrupted by the door opening a crack; he opened his mouth to speak, yet closed it a second later in confusion. Alan stood in the doorway, wearing an expression that he could only assume matched his own, the sound of yelling coming from upstairs.

Was that Eric?

"…I don't think this is the best time for you to be making a call, Mister Spears." Alan said, a cold tone in his voice, and his eyes narrowing at the sight of a blond hair clinging to the supervisor's scarf. He could be civil to his boss who possibly had touched his son, but he knew Eric had no such control when it came to his temper…and their son.

Upstairs, the yelling grew louder, and suddenly there was the sound of feet stomping down the steps as Ronald hurried down, "Just leave me alone, Dad!"

"Come back 'ere, young man!"

"I'm leaving!" Ronald screamed as he hurried around the corner to the front door, skidding to a stop as he spotted William, the frustration and anger falling off his face, "W-Will…"

William watch the ordeal, freezing the moment he heard the blond's proclamation. Had he just heard right? No, it couldn't be, or could it? Alan and Eric had a son…he knew that, but the kid was still just a kid, right? How many years had it been..?

His blood ran cold, heart pounding in his ears as his face paled over. Seeing Eric come down the stairs, fuming like a raged bull in Spain, made something click. Looking back and forth between the blonds and the brunet, the pieces slowly came together in his head.

He didn't want to believe, the truth lying before him clearer than a sheet of glass. Yet in his heart, he knew there was nothing here representing lies— but how? Ronald himself had said he was a normal Reaper, born after he died young in London, right?

No, not right - wrong.

All wrong, ever single bit of it. With a sinking heart, he realized the truth he believed in was a hidden lie; a made up story Ronald had created. Forged to get close to the dark-haired Reaper; he had been played with all along.

Ronald had lied to him. The boy, the lover he had once thought so innocently of, lusted over, poured his heart out to was nothing but a liar and a thief.

He could see the cracks in the glass now - he wasn't loved, just used. Nothing but a simple source of relief, a precious plaything for this blond to toy with and then cast aside. His sheltered life; Ronald had everything handed out to him and he used it to his advantage. He should have seen it coming; all the kisses, affection, and general need and want—all just a ploy to get into his trousers. And here he had gone and poured every single secret he had to this boy, who behind the scenes probably laughed and mocked him.

Scythe, what a fool he had been.

Clenching his fist, William fought to keep his face blank and resist the temptation to smack the blond. His lover—no, they weren't lovers at all. Just playthings part of a one night stand.

"My apologizes, Mr. Humphries, but I am simply returning Mr. Knox's glove" he said cooly, handing the article of clothing over to the brunet before dipping his head in farewell. "I shall take my leave now, good evening to you."

He turned on his heel, walking away from the house, but not before sending a hurt, betrayed, angry glare in the blond's direction. Moving swiftly down the street, he exhaled in attempt to calm his throbbing heart. Tears swam in his eyes, yet he had the cold composure to keep from loosing himself completely.

Never again would he let his heart be broken so dementedly.

Tears welled up in the young blond's eyes. What a cold—hateful look… Struggling to swallow the hurt that began to well up within him, he realized that while he had started to tell William he was a pureblood—he'd never gotten the chance to finish telling him…and now he knew—and hated him. The fear he had had when the older reaper first expressed his hate for born-reapers came crashing back down upon him. "W-William! Wait!" ignoring his lack of shoes and a shirt—let alone a coat, he pushed past his mother and ran after William, "Wait! Please!"

William ignored the blond, quickening his pace, he made a left turn into a narrow condo complex, vanishing into the shadows of the night. He had no intentions of speaking to the blond again, not tonight nor any other occasion.

The hurt was just too much.

Ronald slowed to a stop, trembling more than he was shivering, "Will…" Falling to his knees he gave in, gasped sobs shaking his entire frame…the man he loved hated him…the man he'd given himself to, dropped him that very same night…and all because of his blood-line! He wanted to die in that instant… just curl up and hope to freeze to death.

Ronald stayed in the street, unable to stop crying until his tears ran dry, and he was simply having troubles breathing.

Alan, unable to wait any longer, found Ronald in the street, "You'll catch cold, Ron…" he reached out to touch his shoulder, only to have the boy jerk away, stand up and walk back into the house.

Ignoring both parents, he shuffled up to his room, closed the door, collapsed on his bed and let the tears start anew, reaching under his pillow to get the old stuffed mouse that he kept hidden there.

Alan closed the front door as he reentered the house and looked up the steps before sitting down next to Eric, "…What do you think that was about?" he asked, hearing his son's sobs drift down into the sitting room.

"By my reckonin'... the Realm's shittiest break up" Eric grunted, though he could not suppress the guilt gnawing away at his chest. The anger had long since extinguished, leaving behind a sense of regret and slight remorse eating away at him. They were flies to his flesh, and hearing his son's sobs made the feeling worse.

Yet, he couldn't bring himself to face the problem yet. No doubt the boy would slam the door in his face, most likely starting another argument.

-x-

William kept walking, neither running nor slowing down until he reached home. Unlocking the door, he slipped inside, hands shaking as he slipped his coat from his body. Stumbling over to the living room, he sank onto the couch, trembling like a shivering leaf in a gust of chilly wind.

Soul, sensing her master's distress, snuck over, resting her chin on the man's knee with a whine. William looked down at her, something warm and wet splashing against the back of his hand. Blinking, he reached up to touch the falling tears cascading down his cheek, salty and painful like the panging of his heart.

He shuddered, burying his face into his hands and weeping in sorrow. Fate could never have been crueler.


	12. Heartbreak

**Blood Relations **

**Chapter 12**

Over the following days, Ronald didn't leave his room, he didn't go to work, he didn't go to the kitchen to eat, and the only times he would use the bathroom was when he knew he was home alone.

And at work, William went along as normal, acting like nothing had happened…or at least, that was what it looked like to Alan and Eric. It was killing Alan to see his son in such a state of heartbreak, and he just couldn't understand why it had happened. Nothing had happened to cause a break-up as far as he could tell, and not knowing how to help his baby boy was making him angry…on top of worried. It had been three days and Ronald still refused to eat, go to work, or even talk to them. They had to do something…

He slipped into Eric's office and closed the door, feeling too stressed with worry to care about decency as he slipped into his lover's lap and let his head fall onto his broad shoulder, "…Can't do this anymore…Ronald can't stay locked away like this…"

"Ssshhh..." Eric rubbed his back, hushing him with gentle words and touches. "I know, love, I know... I feel terrible... Wish I hadn' acted the way I did..." He sighed melancholy, running his fingers through the short strands of Alan's hair. "Got overtime again t'night...Spears, the bastard, ain' forgivin' me fer threatenin' to knock 'im upside the head with my scythe..." he groaned. "Try talkin' ta 'im t'night, 'e may be more willin' if I'm not there..."

"You shouldn't have threatened him!" Alan scolded before taking on a darker tone, "You should have just followed through with it…Ronald's never been this bad before… last night I took dinner up to his room and it hadn't been touched this morning…and I heard him getting sick last night…"

Eric looked away shamefully, the guilt eating away at him. He truly felt terrible, and knew his lover was right; yet he had no idea what to do. Ronald refused to talk him, not even look at him.

"He's upset and heartbroken…that couldn't have happened at a worse time, whatever it was… I'll try talking to Spears about it…You try to talk our boy into actually eating something." Alan sighed.

Eric nodded glumly, still keeping his eyes lowered to the ground. He knew there was slim chance of this working, but it was better than nothing at all.

Returning home later that night, he sighed and made his way towards the stairs. He knew Alan had tried to talk to Spears but from what he could hear down the hall, it hadn't gone over well. Mostly with William avoiding the topic and dismissing Alan after a total of eight minutes.

Ronald lay on his bed in nothing but his pajama pants, still hugging his old toy to his chest. Oh how he wished he could go back in time to when his biggest heart break was his parents getting overtime and having to stay at work longer; leaving him with the nanny longer…or better yet, that he'd never been born…

Eric wandered up to the blond's bedroom door, pushing it open with a creak. "Ronald?" he questioned, peeking into the room. Seeing the blond on his bed, he sighed and stepped fully into the room, intent on talking things out with his son.

Ronald didn't protest, but he didn't move, either, silently clinging to his mouse, and trying not to think of William…or the pet name Will had given him…

Walking over to the bed, Eric sat down beside his son. Reaching over, he wrapped an arm around the blond, pulling him close. He didn't say anything, just held him, stroking his mused hair. A soft sigh echoed from his lips. "I'm sorry, son..."

Ronald lay still a long moment before finally moving, shifting up to hug his father and hide his face in his chest like he had when he was a kid and had been scared or upset, "…He hates me, Papa, he s-said he loved me but he…he…" he trailed off, sure he'd start crying again, but the tears had long dried up, leaving him feeling sick and hurt.

"Ssshhh..." Eric soothed his son, rubbing his back in slow, even strokes. Watching his baby fall apart like this broke his heart, even more to know it was his contribution that added to the mess, "I don' know why he did tha' ta ya... But 'e's a right bastard fer doin' so. Even more than I am..." he exhaled deeply, pressing a soft kiss to the side of the blond's head. "No matter wha' though... yer mother an' I love ya... I guess in my mind though... yer still always gonna be my little baby boy."

"B-but that's why…H-he hates purebloods…l-like me…I-I tried to tell him I was one b-but a demon attacked the pegasus and we had to save her an—and I didn't get a chance…and now…." He tightened his grip on his father, "I was going to tell you and mama…but after I told him the truth…I…I thought he loved me enough not to care…" The blond finally, after days of stressing in silence over it, let it off his chest, "I…I'm sorry, Papa…"

Eric's hold tightened on Ronald, cradling the blond against his chest. He hummed a soft tune, one that once had put Ronald to sleep as a child, now served as method to calm the blond during times of intense stress.

"I know... I'm sorry. I over-reacted. I was worrying too much..." he stood carefully, holding his son in his arms. "Come on, you need somethin' ta eat. Ya were stravin' yerself fer the past few days..."

"…Not hungry…" he muttered into the man's chest, though he knew it was a lie.

"Ya know I ain' takin' tha' fer an answer" Eric replied with a raised eyebrow, carrying the boy down the stairs. "Now, what do ya want? 'Course my cookin' skills are shit, ya know that, but you want chicken 'r anythin'? I ain' takin' no fer an answer."

"…Where's mum?" He asked, wondering why Eric was the one force-feeding him. "Can't you just…heat up leftovers? I mean…we both know your cooking, and mine, is toxic to a person's health…"

"Out I think... Probably grocery shoppin'... Though if he ain' back in an hour 'r so... We get to go lookin' fer 'im, eh?" he gave a hearty grin, trying to cheer his son up. "Aw, I'm not tha' bad at it! I jus' blew up the stove once... But if ya want, we have leftover soup we can eat."

The blond nodded, sitting in his chair and looking down at the table-top. "…Dad…did you ever have your heart broken? Does the pain ever fade?"

"... Once. Yer mother drifted away from me one time. His attacks kept gettin' worse, an' we thought he didn' have that much longer. It hurt, it really did—fer days, I felt like I couldn't go on. But, eventually, we worked things out an' he started ta get better" Eric said, shifting through the ridge. "By the way, how are ya feelin'? Yer mother mentined ya were sick las' night.."

"…That's why I'm not hungry, dad…" he pressed a hand to his gut, "I'm all sorts of nauseous…though last night is the first time I actually got sick…" He looked up at his father, "Weak, sick, and depressed…"

Eric frowned, though his eyes softened at the last bit. Reaching over, he felt his son's forehead. "Ya don' have a fever" he stated. "Though ya look a wee bit pale..." He gently rubbed his son's back, pecking him on the top of the head. "I'll reheat some soup fer ya, hopefully ya can keep tha' down. We'll watch a movie afterwards, 'til yer mother comes home. If ya get worse, or feel sick again, we'll take ya in to get checked out."

Ronald nodded, "I'll…try to eat…" he muttered his promise, reaching out to pick up the stray spoon sitting on the table and fiddling with it, "…I should have listened to you and mum… Will—Spears never loved me…"

Eric brought the soup over after a few minutes of managing to heat it without breaking the stove. Sitting down next to his son, he nudged the bowl closer.

"Don' think about tha' now... Just focus on eatin'." he soothed.

"But…it was so easy to love him…to let him use me!" Ronald insisted, lifting his chin up off the wooden tabletop and looking over the bowl at his father, "I can't not think about it!"

"I know it hurts..." Eric reassured him. "Believe me, I know the feeling... But time will heal the pain."

Ronald mindlessly dipped his spoon into the soup, swirling it around, "…I never want to see him again…"

"Ssshhh. Don' worry about it fer now" Eric repressed a sigh of frustration, hating the way his son seemed so heartbroken.

-x-

The weeks passed by, Alan and Eric forcing Ronald to return to work, though his appetite had returned after a week or so. The blond hated work each day, having to see William and the glares the handsome man that had broken his heart sent him broke his heart all over again, and it was all he could do to stop from crying. He didn't smile anymore, not to anyone, though he did try once or twice, it never reached his eyes like it used to.

The blond stood in his room, pulling up his pants and frowning as he strained to button them, sucking in his gut and holding his breath. Lately, his clothes had been fitting tighter around the middle, and it was only becoming painfully obvious to the boy. Of course, he'd been eating more than he used to, as well…maybe he needed to cut back? With a sigh, he finished dressing and walked down to the kitchen, grabbing a mug of coffee, but ignoring the eggs his mother had made.

"Damn bastard gave me overtime again!" Eric complained loudly, stomping down the stairs like an overgrown child. "Right after a fuckin' late shift... Wha' the fuckin' 'ell is this punishment?" Grabbing a plateful of eggs, he slid into his chair with a weary sigh, grabbing a fork and stabbing at his breakfast moodily. Glancing over at his husband and son, he raised an eyebrow at them both. "Aren' ya havin' breakfast, Ron? Eggs are normally yer favourite!"

Ronald shook his head, "I'm starting to get fat." He said bluntly, taking a sip of coffee."

"Oh I doubt that, Ronnie." Alan said, plating some eggs and shoving it at Ronald, "Eat up. You need your energy up for if you run into a demon again."

"I am, though!" Ronald said, "My pants are tight! I don't even need my belt now."

"Yer pants probably shrunk in the wash again" Eric said, shoveling eggs into his mouth . "But, I wil admit ya are puttin' on a bit... had ta carry ya upstairs a couple o' nights ago. Not somethin' ta blubber over for, it'll disappear after a while."

Ronald pouted, "Then all my pants are shrunk! I tried on all of my work pants and they are all the same."

"Well, not eating is not the answer. Eat up." Alan said, sitting down with his own plate, "We'll go shopping for new pants for you soon, alright?"

"In the mean time, I'll let ya borrow a pair o' my pants" Eric stated, looking up from his plate. "I may have a pair o' two that could fit ya."

"Those are too big! I'd have to roll up the bottoms at least five times!" Ronald protested.

"Well, mine won't fit you, we are the same size so they'd be too tight on you, too." Alan pointed out.

"Let me check fer my academy trousers then. I believe I still have 'em. I was shorter then" Eric announced, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand before picking up his plate, dumping it in the sink, then turning for the stairs.

Ron sighed and started to pick at his eggs, frowning slightly. They didn't taste as good as they normally did…in fact, they tasted quite bland…and then he got an urge. Standing up, he walked over to the icebox and pulled it open, searching through it until he found a jar of pickle slices, and some cheese. Then he walked back over to his plate and added the items to his eggs, taking a bite and smiling to himself…much better.

"Ron, could you—" Alan, who had left the table to get the daily paper came back and froze, paper in one hand, his coffee cup in the other, both of which then fell; the mug shattering on the floor, splashing hot coffee everywhere.

Eric heard the crash coming back downstairs, raising an eyebrow as he walked into the kitchen. Then he turned, seeing Ronald eating away at his eggs, and made a face. "Eww. Ron, tha's disgustin'!" he gagged, turning to his husband. He raised an eyebrow at the man's frozen posture. "Al?"

"Is not. Taste perfectly fine." Ronald shrugged, getting up to grab a rag to help clean up the mess, "You okay, mum?" he asked, worriedly.

Alan shook his head, everything made so much sense…and he wondered how he hadn't noticed before. Ronald was putting on weight, his clothes growing tight around the middle, his increased appetite, his occasional getting sick at night…and now…odd cravings? They had thus-far blamed everything on heartbreak and stress…but that wasn't the case, was it? No. And though it seemed too early for everything…maybe the stress and heartbreak Ronald was suffering each day were speeding things up? That didn't matter…what mattered was that he was sure that his baby boy was…

"Eric…" Alan croaked, "Remember what I often had for breakfast a little more than eighteen years ago..?" he hinted, not wanting to be the one to say it. He'd had his suspicions that Ronald had lost his virginity to William, but he and Erich both hadn't pressed the issue with Ronald…they hadn't wanted to remind him if that was the case, but, if he had…

"Huh?" Eric gave his lover a confused look. Yet the longer he thought about it, the more familiar it seemed. He frowned, brows furrowing as a memory arose from the depths of his mind. Alan, sitting at the kitchen table, munching away on-

He paled, face turning five shades of white in less than three seconds. Starting at the repeat of the scene in front of him, only one word escaped his mouth. "Fuck..."

"…What?" Ronald finished mopping up the coffee and picked up the broken mug, looking between his parents, "It's just food…"

"Ronald…baby…" Alan made Ronald set down what he was holding and took his hand, "Did you and Spears…did you have sex with him…at all?"

Ronald's face took on a pink hue, "Wh-what does that have to do with breakfast?"

"Ronald. Just tell us the truth…did you two have sex, and were you on bottom?" Alan pressed, not letting go of his son's hands.

"Y-yes…but…"

"Oh Scythe!" Alan gasped, and pulled him into a tight hug, glancing back at Eric.

Eric's mouth opened and closed repeatedly, though not a sound escaped him. His face was paler than a ghost, yet a strong fire burned in his eyes. He looked like he wanted to murder something (more specifically, a certain dark-haired supervisor) or implode.

Instead, he took a deep breath, held up a hand to signal for the other two to wait, and stormed out of the house into the back yard, scythe appearing in his hand.

A moment later, a loud shout followed by the sound of the blade hitting tree bark echoed across the lot. "GODDAMMIT!"

Ronald flinched at the sound, "What…" he looked at his mother, still completely oblivious to his situation, "Mum..?"

Alan sat Ronald down, stepping back to look him over, a sad look on his face, "…I had heard it was easier for Pureblooded reapers to…but this is…" he sighed and sat down across from Ronald, "…Ronnie…I think…you are pregnant."

Ronald froze, time seeming to stop and the world shattered around him. Pregnant? Him? but…no, impossible…right? Gasping, and trying not to let tears fall again because of William, the blond hugged his middle, "N-no! I-I-I can't! M-Mama…"

Eric staggered back into the house, a thin sheet of sweat covering his body, trembling and pale all over. Without a word, he reached over, taking his son into his arms whist collapsing into a nearby chair. Rocking his son gently, he exhaled sharply, suddenly feeling overly exhausted and worn.

Ronald hugged his father tight, eyes wide as his mind ran wild with the situation…He couldn't believe that he was pregnant, but if his mother said so… William hadn't just taken his virginity and then dumped him—he'd gotten him pregnant and then dumped him… leaving him alone…just as Hans had done to Will…

Trembling, Ronald felt his depression and heart break over William leaving him start to morph, mixing with anger, and his tears finally rolled down his cheeks, "Mama…Papa…I…I can't be! I…I'm not ready for this! I…I can't!"

"Shh, shh…it'll be okay, my little mouse, it'll be okay…" Alan cooed, trying to calm him.

Eric said not a word, simply tightening his hold on his son. The entire situation and the mere shock had left him emotionally drained, lost for word and thought. He heard his son crying, and pressed a light kiss to his forehead. "Sshh. I got ya... It's gonna be alrigh', Ronnie..."

It was a rather pathetic attempt, but all he could muster. He wanted so badly to soothe his son, tell him that it would be fine and this would all blow over, and yet he knew in the back of his mind that there was no possible way any of that was true.

Ronald was still so young, practically a child compared to a vast majority of the population. There was no way he could do this on his own, never mind take care of himself in the process. Even though the boy hated to admit, he was still dependent on his parents—now, he needed Alan and Eric even more.


	13. Bursts of Anger

**Blood Relations **  
**Chapter 13**

Anger was bubbling to the surface again. It had been a few days since he found out he was likely pregnant, and his parents had taken him to the infirmary for a test, which came back with an unfortunately positive result. Ronald was pregnant. Pregnant, emotional, and currently sitting at his desk in his cubical, watching William as he talked to Grell a few feet away. Unable to keep his emotions pent up any longer, he stood up, picking up the tape dispenser from his desk and chucking it as hard as he could at the man.

"...and I said to him, 'You better get your slimy hands off my ass before I saw them off!' and HE said-!"

"Yes, that's very nice, Sutcliffe..." William muttered with a roll of his eyes. "Though I would rather skip the part where you nail him senseless to a tree."

Grell scowl, straightening his posture with an aggravated look towards his friend. "Well, excuse me for trying to brighten your day!"

William raised an eyebrow.

"Telling me about your sex life is supposed to cheer me up?"

"It is when I tell about how I threw the guy through a window instead of nailing him, and reaping a soul at the exact same tim- HOLY SHIT!"

The redhead shrieked in fear and horror as a rather heavy tape dispenser smashed into the wall between them, leaving a large indent. William jumped slightly, his eyes wide behind squared framed glasses. His expression hardened, turning around to glare coldly at the blond standing a few feet away, matching his glare with a dark look of his own.

"KNOX!"

"Oh! Sorry, sir, Looks like I missed!" he picked up his stapler and chucked it at the man who broke his heart, not caring that he was attracting an audience. Followed by the stapler was his empty coffee mug, which finally hit his target in the shoulder when William dodged the stapler.

William seethed, clutching his shoulder in pain, he felt something inside of him snap. Whether it was by instinct or out of rage, he stormed over to the blond, seeing red. Raising his hand, he slapped him across the face, not giving him a moment to recover before grabbing his collar, snarling.

A hand grabbed him on the shoulder, an unusually serious voice breaking his demeanor, "Stop it, William. This isn't worth it."

William glared at Grell, the redhead's face one of dead seriousness. Dropping Ronald to the floor, he brushed past the red Reaper, storming down the hall to his office, slamming the door shut.

The rest of the office, having frozen during the whole ordeal, turned in unison to stare at the blond on the floor.

Ronald was in angry tears and ignored the stares pointed at him. shaking slightly, he pushed himself up, cradling his cheek in his palm before turning to walk not-so-calmly down the Hall, ducking into the men's room before he broke down, kicking the stall wall and letting out a frustrated scream-like growl before gasping and leaning on the sink, staring at his reflection in the mirror, watching the tears run down his already bruising cheek. "I hate him…"

"Ronnie?" Grell cautiously approached the blond, sliding the bathroom door shut, hesitant in case the boy lashed out again. Reaching his student, he rested a hand on his back, using soft, gentle words, "What was that all about? What's wrong?"

"…Senpai…" Ronald took a deep breath and turned to look up at the redhead. He didn't want to tell him, it wasn't his concern at all…but he found he couldn't hold it back, spilling what he hadn't told anyone outside his family. "W-Mister Spears…He told me he loved me, bedded me, and then left me that same night! And now I…I found out I'm…I'm having his baby and…and…"

Grell froze at the blond's confession, staring at him with wide eyes. Had he just heard right? "I-I'm sorry... Can you repeat that?" he asked, not believing his ears.

"He left me…after getting me pregnant…" the blond sobbed, leaning forward and resting his forehead upon the cool glass of the mirror, "He…he hates purebloods…and I…I am one…I tried to tell him b-but a demon…and then he found out on his own and…and he…and now I find out….and…Senpai, I don't know what to do!"

Grell frowned in confusion—Ronald was a pureblood? When had this come about; more importantly, why was he only finding out about this now? Yet it was not a matter to be concerned with at the moment—seeing the blond in distress snapped him out of his stupor.

Gently maneuvering the blond to sit on the floor, the redhead took his place beside him, rubbing soothing circles into his back. "It's okay, it's okay..." he murmured softly, using a calm, smooth tone to reassure the blond.

Though he may have been overly dramatic and flamboyant, Grell was not stupid. He had a serious side to him, something he rarely brought out unless called for—and now was one of those times.

"Does William know? What exactly happened?"

"He never even gives me a chance to even say a syllable! Th-throwing things at him just now is the first time he's even acknowledged I still exist…of course he doesn't know…" he pulled his knees up and hugged them to his chest, "Things were so good…he said he loved me, and took me to Germany on a pegasus for my birthday…and then things got serious…and we…we…and right after that I started to tell him about my heritage, but a demon attacked and I lost my chance. Then…he saw me arguing with my parents and…and now he acts like I was nothing to him!"

Grell's brow furrowed, making a mental note to himself about having a rather serious discussion with a certain Mr. William T. Spears.

Despite the amount of flirting he directed towards the man, it was not in his interest to neither bed or date him. He and William were very close friends, and though at one point in their younger lives he may have fallen for the stoic Reaper, the other had made it clear that there was no chance of a relationship between them, and the attraction faded from something romantic to platonic.

He saw William as a brother, nothing more, and like brothers, they jested one another. Flirting was his way of annoying his 'brother' and got the reaction he loved—they fought like siblings; being an only child, it was what Grell yearned for.

Ronald, too, became something of a younger brother to the redhead; cute, innocent, but spunky and full of life. Seeing him now, hurt and crumbling at heart, made his blood boil.

Ronald's side came first in this equation.

"There, there..." he hushed the boy, reaching into his pocket. Pulling out a lacy red handkerchief, he dabbed carefully at the blond's eyes, drying his tears. "Come," he lifted Ronald to his feet. "I'll take you home. You're too stressed out right now, and that's bad for the baby..."

"…If I go, he'll give my father more overtime…" Ronald started to protest. He hated how his father was always working so late. Some nights he and Alan didn't get to see him before they turned in for the night, and Ronald couldn't help but feel it was all his fault.

"I'll handle it, don't you worry about it," Grell said firmly, holding a finger to the blond's lips. "Now..." He gave a Chesire grin. "Knowing that you are pregnant, I am hereby self-appointing myself as your personal caretaker while at work! We work together most of the time anyways. This way, I can help lessen the stress on your parents AND make sure you are taking care of yourself and the infant!"

'And protect you in case William looses control again...' he silently added, before piping up again. "I won't take 'no' for an answer, boy, so don't even try! So, onto a distracting topic to quench my curiosity—who are your parents, if you don't mind me asking?"

Ronald blushed, "…My full, pureblood name is Ronald Oliver Knox Humpheries-Slingby." He offered, knowing that was more than enough information to satisfy the redhead's question.

"Alan and Eric... To be honest, I'm not that surprised" Grelled chuckled in amusement, guiding the boy down the hall. "They know, I'm assuming?"

"Mum knew before I did…" he nodded, "He went into shock, while Dad went out and destroyed one of our trees in the back yard."

"Mmm. They aren't angry at you, I hope?" he asked the boy, blinking as they came back to the office, the remains of the mess having been cleaned up by maintenance. "Do you want to let them know you are going home early? In case they worry as to where you ran off too?"

"They're out on a collection together." He said, grabbing his coat from his desk, "No telling when they'll get back."

"Ah, I see" Grell nodded, turning around to lead the blond back the way they came, to the front entrance.

Neither noticed the silent Reaper standing in the shadows, greens shining with devious intent behind thick glasses. "Huh... A pureblood like myself... and pregnant vith Spear's child..." He looked down at the list in his hand, eyeing two names scheduled for reaping in East London. "This could work in my favor..."

A soft growl hummed against his ear, a shining black creature crawling up on his shoulder—it was hideous. Black all over, three red eyes and double rows of glistening fangs. It's six legs moved akin to a centipede's, hooked claws grabbing into the man's shoulder. Hans regarded it dryly, reaching up to pet it behind a set of horns on it's head. "Patience, patience..."


	14. Fate so Cruel

**Blood Relations **

**Chapter 14**

As ordered by Grell, Ronald stayed home the rest of the day, trying to relax. The redhead had given him a list of things that might help him ease off the stress, and he followed all of them…or what he could, that is. Things like a warm bath and reading a book while listening to soft music he could handle…making himself a snack…well, that was best left for when Alan got home.

However, as the hours ticked by, neither Eric nor Alan came home, and Ronald resorted to ordering takeout before he turned in for the night.

The next morning, the boy awoke to a quiet house. He didn't hear the usual sounds of Eric in the shower across the hall from his room, and he didn't smell breakfast cooking in the kitchen. But his alarm alerted him that he needed to get ready for work, and he dragged himself out of bed, got dressed, and went to his parents' room, figuring they had a late night and forgot to set their alarm. But he found their bed empty and made. Had they gone to work early? Usually they left him a note and some breakfast when they had to do that, but the kitchen lay untouched. Just what was going on? Had they forgotten..?

Best not worry.

Ronald grabbed the leftovers from his dinner and ate them quickly—cold. And hurried out the door towards the dispatch building.

The Dispatch was bustling with activity, probably more than usual. Reapers fled left and right, cradling stacks of paper in their arms or handling scythes, too immersed in their business to notice or even acknowledge the blond.

Yet upstairs, the scene was a little different.

Alan and Eric's desks stood empty, not even touched since the day before—the daily work schedule Eric had left lying about the morning before was still in the same spot, unmoved and collecting dust.

It was if they had never been there since the day before.

The only sound aside from typewriters clicking away were the sound of voices floating out from William's office.

"...A terrible tragedy, Mr. Spears..."

"Yes, indeed. What a mess this has turned out to be..."

"Agreed. This must come to an end; the source must be uncovered!"

"The names of the dead, read them to me…"

Ronald slowly walked over to the dreaded door, leading to the room he had avoided at all costs since his heart had been ripped from his chest and stomped upon. His stomach twisted and he felt anxious. Where were his parents? Why hadn't they come home yet? And on top of that…why did he feel the need to eavesdrop? He stood outside the door and out of sight, leaning against the wall.

William sat in his office, in midst of a conversation with one of the Reapers in charge of the field. He drummed his fingers against the desk, face set in stone but his heart thumping wildly against his chest. He was shocked the other man did not hear it; the loud beating pounded in his ears, drowning out any train of thought that happened to pass by.

The previous day, a massive demon ambush took over the vicinity of England, the beasts attacking and ruthlessly slaughtering unsuspecting Reapers and humans going about their business, leaving a bloody trail in their wake. The result was huge death toll of staggering numbers, the latter of which William was dealing with himself.

Green eyes blinked as the man was pulled back to reality by the voice of the field Reaper, reading names off a long list.

They went from A to Z, yet organized in way of area rather than alphabetical order. Starting from Glasgow down to London, William noted every name of every man and woman caught in the fray, remorsefully acknowledging the number of dreaded phone calls he would have to make later that afternoon to their loved ones.

He had only begun to imagine the piercing cries and screams when two particular names made him freeze, face paling over as a cold chill ran through his body.

"Alan Humphries and Eric Slingby, dead last night at 4:30 PM. Bodies dragged off."

Ronald stiffened, dropping his armload of files. Papers scattering over the floor and clipboards clattering loudly, almost echoing within the edges of his shocked mind.

'_Alan Humphries and Eric Slingby, dead last night at 4:30 PM. Bodies dragged off.'_

No! No! They can't be dead! Tears welled up in his eyes, and his breathing became labored as he struggled to maintain control.

'_Alan Humphries and Eric Slingby, dead last night…'_

They had to be alive! They had to! They just… were late on a reap, is all! They must of read it wrong! There was no way fate would be so cruel!

'_Alan Humphries and Eric Slingby, dead…'_

Sick, he was going to be sick! Pressing a hand over his mouth, he sprinted to the men's room, kicking open a stall door, and falling to his knees as he expelled the contents of his stomach into the porcelain bowel.

'_Alan and Eric, dead…'_

He began to tremble, choking on his own breath.

'_Mother and Father, dead…'_

Unable to take it anymore, the boy screamed out a sob, giving in completely to his tears, "M-Mama…Papa…."

A small group of Reapers had clustered outside the door to the men's room, hearing the blood-curdling scream from down the hall. William himself had heard it, yet was forced to remain seated as names continued to be read off the list.

Soul, however, perked up at the scream. Recognizing the voice, she stood from her spot at William's feet, charging out the door and down the hall. Following the familiar scent to a crowd of Reapers, she nosed her way past the confused men and women, pushing into the bathroom.

She looked around in confusion before registering the sound of sobbing coming from the last stall. Creeping over, she whimpered at the sight of Ronald bawling his eyes out on the floor. Edging even closer, she whined softly, nudging the boy's arm with her nose.

For once, Ronald didn't flinch away, far too lost in the dark loneliness descending upon his life. No lover, no family…he was alone. All alone—and the worst part was, he'd not even have his parents' bodies to lay to rest.

Soul whimpered, nuzzling the blond in almost desperation. She pushed her head under his arm, gazing at him sorrowfully before licking his face.

Outside the bathroom, a certain redhead was pushing his way through the crowd; "Oi, move! This isn't a fucking circus attraction! Go back to your paperwork!" Grell snarled, brushing past yet another underling before entering the restroom.

"Ronald? Ronnie, are you alright..?" he called out worriedly.

Ronald slowly looked up at the redhead. His eyes so full of tears he may as well have had his glasses off, the world was so blurry. He only knew it was Grell because he saw red. "Th-they're gone…d-dead!"

Grell gave him a sad, understanding look. He had heard the news himself earlier than morning, when one of the field staff had let it slip as he passed by. He had hoped restlessly that it was just a mistake, just a dose of small talk and gossip. Yet seeing the blond curled up on the restroom floor, a complete mess of himself again, only confirmed his dreading fears. Crouching down, he regarded the broken boy with an air of sympathy. Opening his arms, he bid the blond to come to him, for comfort and for release.

There was no hesitation as Ronald pushed himself up and flung himself at the redhead, sobbing openly into his chest. Grell caught him with ease, though not expecting such a sudden reaction. Falling back on his rear, he held the blond carefully in his arms, stroking his back, whispering soothing words in a hushed tone.

"Wh-what am I going to d-do? E-Everyone I love… S-Senpai…D-don't leave me…" he pleaded. Grell was a friend…and his closest—like an older brother—sister? It didn't matter…Grell was all he had left. Without him, he'd be alone.

"Shhhhhhhh...sh-sh-shh, it's going to be okay. I'm not going anywhere, it's going to be alright... We'll figure something out..."

Truly he had no idea what to do; he would let the blond stay at his place, but his neighbors had been causing a riot recently, and he didn't want to expose the blond to more stress, "Here, I'm taking you home..." he lifted the boy up off the floor.

"Stay with me this time…" he whimpered as he was guided through the remaining crowd of onlookers, "Please! I…I can't be there alone again…not knowing they won't come home…"

Grell hesitated, but agreed nonetheless. It seemed it was better that way—the blond was too unstable to be left alone, and the redhead had no intention to leave him after the display in the bathroom.

Just as he rounded the corner, William came strolling out of his office, heading straight towards the sharp-toothed Reaper. "Grell-"

"Save it." the redhead cut him off, eyes narrowed dangerously. "I have other things to attend to..."

William recoiled sharply, a look of disbelief upon his face—then he saw Ronald. He opened his mouth to say something, but the redhead had already left, leaving the man to stand alone in a busy office space.

Once home, in the suddenly cold and empty house, Ronald parted from Grell's side and ran up to his room, grabbing his stuffed mouse before slipping into his parents' room, huddling under the blankets as more sobs shook from him. This was the closest he'd ever get to them again…unless he joined them…

Grell wandered about the house, trying to figure out where everything was. He had only been to the couple's home once or twice, mainly to drop off a form or assignment for Ronald. Having never actually stepped foot inside, he had no idea where and how to find anything.

With a huff, he concluded that, unfortunately, the only option was to get Ronald's help. Though he would rather not disturb the blond, respecting the need for solitude and remorse.

Still, he climbed the stairs, wandered down the hall, and knocked on the door to the last room. "Ronnie? Sweetness, I apologize for disturbing you, but I need help finding where everything is..."

Ronald nodded and sat up, whipping his cheeks dry, "What do you need?" he asked, slipping out of bed, taking his mouse with him like a child.

"Just a general knowledge of where the cooking supplies are at and an overall layout of the house." Grell stated, taking notice in the stuffed toy the blond had in his possession. "For your baby?"

Ronald shook his head, "This one's mine…Dad got it for me the day I was born…" he choked up and tried to swallow the tears wanting to form, "My 'Mou-mou'…" he gripped his old toy tighter, "Mum also used to call me his 'Little mouse'…and…" he whipped more tears before they could trail down his cheeks, "C-come on…" he lead the redhead on a quick tour as they made their way to the kitchen where he proceeded to show him where things were located.

Grell nodded solemnly, reaching over to pat the blond on the back. He mentally slapped himself for bringing up yet another reminder of the boy's parents, knowing how much it pained him to think about them at that moment in time.

After being shown around the house, and where everything was, the redhead guided the boy to the sitting room, helping him onto the couch.

"I'll make you something easy to eat... I doubt the morning sickness and nausea is making this any easier for you" he said softly, holding Ronald's hands in his own.

"…Thanks, senpai…" he took a deep, shaky breath and lay down, turning his gaze upon the picture frames holding family pictures. Reaching out, he touched one, running his fingers over the glass.

Meanwhile, Grell busied himself with the kitchen, gathering ingredients to whip up some food for Ronald. He himself had eaten earlier before running into the blond, so he only needed enough for one serving.

Cooking had never been in his area of expertise, but he was skilled enough in the basics to make simple meals for himself. In the end, he settled for a simple broccoli soup and some orange juice. Bringing the food over to the blond in the living room, he watched momentarily as the boy traced over the lines in his family photo, a sad smile etching its way upon his face.

"Ronnie... I have food for you. It's not a lot, but I believe you should be able to stomach it." he cooed softly, setting the meal down upon the coffee table.

Obviously having been zoned out and focused upon his own thoughts, Ronald jumped slightly at the sound of Grell's voice and he tore his attention away from the photograph containing his parents' likeness.

"Oh…thank you." He sat up and set his mouse aside as he took the offered food, not really tasting it as he slowly spooned it into his mouth.

"It's healthy but simple. I can't really cook anything exquisite, sorry." Grell admitted sheepishly. "How are you feeling though?"

"…Like the world has ended and I'm waiting to be taken away as well…" he muttered between spoonfuls.

Grell waited until he was finished before taking hold of his hands. "I want you to listen to me, darling" he said, looking the boy straight in the eye. "It hurts... but you are not alone. You are never alone—I am here. And-" He took the blond's hand gently, setting it upon his stomach. "-You have your baby. No matter what happens, or who you are... they love you regardless."

Reaching out, he pulled the broken Reaper to his chest, holding him in a firm, protective embrace. Stroking the soft blond locks, he rocked him from side to side, as his own mother had down with him when he was young and upset with the world.

"I'm going to get you ready for bed now... I know it's early, but you need the rest and I can't have you getting sick and putting yourself at even more risk than you already have..." Taking the stuffed mouse, he slipped it carefully into the boy's arms.

Ronald nodded and allowed the older reaper get him up into his parents' bedroom once more, where he changed into one of his father's shirts. As a young boy wanting to grow up faster, he used to steal his father's clothes at night to sleep in and to see how much more he had to grow to be 'just like daddy'. It was still quite large on him, and he hugged the shirt tighter around him…still a ways to go before he could be like Eric… But he took after his mother in size.

He then climbed into Alan's side of the bed and curled up with his mouse, closing his eyes.


End file.
